Homosexuality was a criminal offense in Russia until 1993. (Depiction)
Moscow:
Russian lawmakers on Monday called for a tougher anti-gay law and the Kremlin ordered costly patriotic education projects as Moscow pursues its conservative policies in the country and its troops fight in Ukraine.
Russia’s lower house of parliament, the Duma, held a consultation session on amendments to the 2013 law that prohibits exposing minors to what authorities consider to be “gay propaganda”.
The bill would go further by also prohibiting the “denial of family values” and the “promotion of non-traditional sexual orientations” at all ages.
Lawmakers argued that the law needed to be strengthened amid Russia’s escalating confrontation with the West and its armed forces fighting close to home.
Alexander Khinstein, a senior lawmaker and the head of the State Duma’s information committee, said the Ukraine offensive had given the bill “new relevance”.
“The special operation is happening not only on the battlefield, but also in the minds and souls of people,” Khinstein said.
Konstantin Malofeyev, a banker and conservative media baron, told the Duma hearing that passing the law was part of Russia’s war effort.
“War is not just on the battlefield. It’s also in our children’s smartphones, in cartoons and movies,” Malofeyev said.
“Our enemy really holds sodomy propaganda as the core of his influence,” he said.
The amendments are expected to be approved this fall, according to Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin.
Volodin said the law would “protect” Russians.
“It’s not about limiting rights, it’s about protecting them from propaganda,” he said.
On the same day, President Vladimir Putin ordered his government to allocate 3.9 billion rubles ($63 million) a year for patriotic education programs.
According to the Kremlin’s website, these programs should include “digital content and multimedia products aimed at the patriotic and spiritual education of children and young people”.
Under Putin, Russian schools have taught a pro-state version of history that glosses over Stalinist crimes and focuses on Russia’s military successes.
Since the Russian leader sent troops to Ukraine in late February, the government has introduced a new subject in schools – “Conversations About What’s Important” – which is meant to instill patriotism.
(With the exception of the title, this story has not been edited by blogdudemocrate.org staff and is published from a syndicated feed).
Russia is about to strengthen the anti-gay law in a conservative momentum. – Democrat Blog