The concept of “traditional values” has been weaponized for use against LGBT people. “Through a persistent rhetoric, powerfully promoted by Russia and its allies, LGBT people have come to embody all that is antithetical to so-called ‘traditional values,’ ” says Graeme Reid, director of the LGBT rights program at Human Rights Watch. Continue reading
Human Rights Watch issued this update on the latest proposal for a Russian-style “gay propaganda” law. HRW urged Moldova, a former Soviet republic, to reject the bill, much as it did in 2013: Moldova: Reject ‘Gay Propaganda’ Law Bill to ‘Protect’ Children Would Violate Their Rights (Berlin, June 21, 2016) – The Moldovan parliament should … Continue reading
Homophobia, often violent, is a problem in Russia and five nearby countries that have enacted or considered imposing anti-“gay propaganda” laws. None of these countries has a specific law against same-sex intimacy, with the exception of the internationally unrecognized Moldovan break-away territory of Transnistria. But each of them has prohibited or considered imposing prohibitions on … Continue reading
Activist Kyle James Rohrich analyzes the geopolitical tactics behind Russian President Vladimir Putin’s so-called “straight pride” initiative. Excerpts from his article “The Geopolitics of Intolerance: Putin’s ‘Straight Pride’ “: By Kyle James Rohrich In response to the United States’ recent Supreme Court ruling to make marriage equality law of the land, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s … Continue reading
The hate-crime murders of thousands of LGBTI people worldwide aren’t enough to convince Nigerian officials or their anti-gay American supporters that tolerance for sexual minorities is a good idea. Nigeria claims that an appeal by the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights for recognition of the human rights of LGBTI people is an infringement on … Continue reading
LGBT Christians are keeping the faith in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, despite huge challenges in many countries. They resolved to “support one another in prayers and to pray ‘for those who persecute us’ ” in a joint statement at the group’s sixth gathering, Aug. 15-18 in Kiev, Ukraine. Participants in the forum were LGBT … Continue reading
The human rights office of the United Nations has urged Russia to repeal its ban on “gay propaganda,” while also asking Moldova to repeal a similar law and advising Ukraine not to pass a nearly identical proposal. Such laws “form the basis for standing and regular harassment, and even arbitrary detention, and help create a … Continue reading
Traditions can create a sense of connectedness between the present and the past, but they can also be used to deny rights to women and sexual minorities, warns Graeme Reid, director of the LGBT Rights Program at Human Rights Watch. In an essay published by CNN, he writes: The U.N. Human Rights Council recently passed … Continue reading
Proposals to prohibit “gay propaganda” are spreading from St. Petersburg, Russia, which passed a law in early March banning activities that would promote gay culture among minors. Similar suggestions are being considered by the Russian parliament, the city of Moscow, and in the Eastern European countries Moldova, Lithuania and Hungary. Such bans are already in … Continue reading
