Anti-Gay Propaganda Law: Analysis and Outcomes
Anti-Gay Propaganda Law: Analysis and Outcomes
“Laws alone cannot secure freedom of expression; in order that every man present his views without penalty there must be spirit of tolerance in the entire population.” Said Albert Einstein. In Russia though, some laws censor the spirit of tolerance and therefore go against their primary goal. On the 29 of February of 2012, a law against “gay propaganda” has been adopted in second reading by a vote of 29 to 5 with one abstention and took effect 10 days after, after the final decision of governor Georgy Poltavchenko. We may refer to this law as “law against gay propaganda”, “anti-gay law”, “anti-gay bill” or more humouristically, “the gay-gag law”. The author, Vitaly Milonov, a deputy from the Russian political formation “United Russia” justifies the passation of the law by the attachment of the Russian people to traditionnal values, public morality and justification of protection of minors. He also declares that “the sin of sodom is repellent to him”.
In a country which opened little by little on individual freedoms since the collapse of the USSR (homosexuality was depenalised in 1993, and stopped being considered like a desease in 1999), a revival of conservatism is now noticeable. The law against gay propaganda that forbids any public act that promotes homosexuality is one demonstration of this political and social development among a country whose orthodox faith has become again a strong value within the population and the government in power. Although it is difficult to understand why such a law would be necessary when it is widely known that homosexuality is not a perversion and when many countries have adopted gay marriage, it is even harder to understand the basic meanings and implications of this law. How can we understand the wording “gay propaganda” and the consequences it might, or not, imply ? Who will suffer from this law and who will benefit from it ?
We shall develop those questions by
“Laws alone cannot secure freedom of expression; in order that every man present his views without penalty there must be spirit of tolerance in the entire population.” Said Albert Einstein. In Russia though, some laws censor the spirit of tolerance and therefore go against their primary goal. On the 29 of February of 2012, a law against “gay propaganda” has been adopted in second reading by a vote of 29 to 5 with one abstention and took effect 10 days after, after the final decision of governor Georgy Poltavchenko. We may refer to this law as “law against gay propaganda”, “anti-gay law”, “anti-gay bill” or more humouristically, “the gay-gag law”. The author, Vitaly Milonov, a deputy from the Russian political formation “United Russia” justifies the passation of the law by the attachment of the Russian people to traditionnal values, public morality and justification of protection of minors. He also declares that “the sin of sodom is repellent to him”.
In a country which opened little by little on individual freedoms since the collapse of the USSR (homosexuality was depenalised in 1993, and stopped being considered like a desease in 1999), a revival of conservatism is now noticeable. The law against gay propaganda that forbids any public act that promotes homosexuality is one demonstration of this political and social development among a country whose orthodox faith has become again a strong value within the population and the government in power. Although it is difficult to understand why such a law would be necessary when it is widely known that homosexuality is not a perversion and when many countries have adopted gay marriage, it is even harder to understand the basic meanings and implications of this law. How can we understand the wording “gay propaganda” and the consequences it might, or not, imply ? Who will suffer from this law and who will benefit from it ?
We shall develop those questions by