Notably, this hasn't been reported by mainstream media outlets, presumably because they covered the referendum that originates this decision June last year so they consider the topic covered,...
Notably, this hasn't been reported by mainstream media outlets, presumably because they covered the referendum that originates this decision June last year so they consider the topic covered, which kinda makes sense but is very odd.
A series of constitutional amendments signed by President Vladimir Putin on Monday intensifies Russia’s years-long crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights.
The wide-ranging amendments formally outlaw same-sex marriages and ban transgender people from adopting children. Marriage equality had been long treated as illegal in Russia, where LGBTQ+ people commonly face persecution from governmental authorities, but as local activists told the Washington Blade, the definition of a family unit as “exclusively... a union of a man and a woman" was absent from the country’s constitution prior to this week.
The amendments were approved in a June 2020 constitutional referendum, in which they were backed by an overwhelming 78% of Russian voters. The language banning same-sex unions was central to that effort, with one TV commercial depicting a young orphan being adopted by a gay couple, one of whom wears makeup and effeminate clothing. As the 90-second ad spot ends, workers at the orphanage look on in horror as the men give their new son a dress while they usher him into their car.
The targeting of queer and trans people follows a continued campaign of scapegoating vulnerable minorities in Russia. In 2013, Putin signed a law forbidding the spread of pro-LGBTQ+ “propaganda” to minors under the age of 18 — which has, in practice, served to target everything from Pride parades to carrying a pink iPhone case in school.
As a Russian national, and I don't really find that that odd. The amendments were indeed approved more than half a year ago, and anyone who had any doubts that Putin will sign them is absolutely...
As a Russian national, and I don't really find that that odd. The amendments were indeed approved more than half a year ago, and anyone who had any doubts that Putin will sign them is absolutely delusional. For people like me, the reaction is less of a “Oh no, look at what they did!” and more of a “Business as usual”. Russian laws have been getting more and more regressive for more than a decade now.
Living in a country that borders Russia, this was widely reported, both in the context of taking European attention off of Putin allowing himself further presidential terms recently. But also in...
Living in a country that borders Russia, this was widely reported, both in the context of taking European attention off of Putin allowing himself further presidential terms recently.
But also in the context of either trying to take international attention away from the increase in soldiers near/in Crimea or to try to avoid international attention on Russia's increasing bigotry due to focus on the Crimea-situation, depending on who you talk to.
Notably, this hasn't been reported by mainstream media outlets, presumably because they covered the referendum that originates this decision June last year so they consider the topic covered, which kinda makes sense but is very odd.
As a Russian national, and I don't really find that that odd. The amendments were indeed approved more than half a year ago, and anyone who had any doubts that Putin will sign them is absolutely delusional. For people like me, the reaction is less of a “Oh no, look at what they did!” and more of a “Business as usual”. Russian laws have been getting more and more regressive for more than a decade now.
Living in a country that borders Russia, this was widely reported, both in the context of taking European attention off of Putin allowing himself further presidential terms recently.
But also in the context of either trying to take international attention away from the increase in soldiers near/in Crimea or to try to avoid international attention on Russia's increasing bigotry due to focus on the Crimea-situation, depending on who you talk to.