Seeing as I was banned from the Russian Social Media site VK.com last week and my blog is about to be completely
banned from Russia, I have decided to post this blog post as a FUCK YOU to
President Vladimir Putin, courtesy of the blog Russian Propaganda.
On
July 3, Mr. Putin signed a law banning the adoption of Russian-born children
not only to gay couples but also to any couple or single parent living in any
country where marriage equality exists in any form.
A
few days earlier, just six months before Russia hosts the 2014 Winter Games,
Mr. Putin signed a law allowing police officers to
arrest tourists and foreign nationals they suspect of being homosexual, lesbian
or “pro-gay” and detain them for up to 14 days. Contrary to what the International Olympic Committee says, the law could mean that any Olympic
athlete, trainer, reporter, family member or fan who is gay — or suspected of
being gay, or just accused of being gay — can go to jail.
Earlier
in June, Mr. Putin signed yet another antigay bill, classifying “homosexual
propaganda” as pornography. The law is broad and vague, so that any teacher who
tells students that homosexuality is not evil, any parents who tell their child
that homosexuality is normal, or anyone who makes pro-gay statements deemed
accessible to someone underage is now subject to arrest and fines. Even a
judge, lawyer or lawmaker cannot publicly argue for tolerance without the
threat of punishment.
Finally,
it is rumored that Mr. Putin is about to sign an edict that would remove
children from their own families if the parents are either gay or lesbian or
suspected of being gay or lesbian. The police would have the authority to
remove children from adoptive homes as well as from their own biological
parents.
Not
surprisingly, some gay and lesbian families are already beginning to plan their
escapes from Russia.
Why
is Mr. Putin so determined to criminalize homosexuality? He has defended his
actions by saying that the Russian birthrate is diminishing and that Russian
families as a whole are in danger of decline. That may be. But if that is truly
his concern, he should be embracing gay and lesbian couples who, in my world,
are breeding like proverbial bunnies. These days I rarely meet a gay couple who
aren’t raising children.
And
if Mr. Putin thinks he is protecting heterosexual marriage by denying us the
same unions, he hasn’t kept up with the research. Studies from San Diego State
University compared homosexual civil unions and heterosexual marriages in
Vermont and found that the same-sex relationships demonstrate higher levels of
satisfaction, sexual fulfillment and happiness. (Vermont legalized same-sex
marriages in 2009, after the study was completed.)
Mr.
Putin also says that his adoption ban was enacted to protect children from
pedophiles. Once again the research does not support the homophobic rhetoric.
About 90 percent of
pedophiles are heterosexual men.
Mr.
Putin’s true motives lie elsewhere. Historically this kind of scapegoating is
used by politicians to solidify their bases and draw attention away from their
failing policies, and no doubt this is what’s happening in Russia. Counting on
the natural backlash against the success of marriage equality around the world
and recruiting support from conservative religious organizations, Mr. Putin has
sallied forth into this battle, figuring that the only opposition he will face
will come from the left, his favorite boogeyman.
Mr.
Putin’s campaign against lesbian, gay and bisexual people is one of
distraction, a strategy of demonizing a minority for political gain taken
straight from the Nazi playbook. Can we allow this war against human rights to
go unanswered? Although Mr. Putin may think he can control his creation,
history proves he cannot: his condemnations are permission to commit violence
against gays and lesbians. In May a young gay man was murdered in the city
of Volgograd. He was beaten, his body violated with beer bottles, his clothing
set on fire, his head crushed with a rock. This is most likely just the
beginning.
Nevertheless,
the rest of the world remains almost completely ignorant of Mr. Putin’s agenda.
His adoption restrictions have received some attention, but it has been largely
limited to people involved in international adoptions.
This
must change. With Russia about to hold the Winter Games in Sochi,
the country is open to pressure. American and world leaders must speak out
against Mr. Putin’s attacks and the violence they foster. The Olympic Committee
must demand the retraction of these laws under threat of boycott.
In
1936 the world attended the Olympics in Germany. Few participants said a word
about Hitler’s campaign against the Jews. Supporters of that decision point
proudly to the triumph of Jesse Owens, while I point with dread to the
Holocaust and world war. There is a price for tolerating intolerance.
Влади́мир Влади́мирович Пу́тин пошел на хуй
(Please support Russian Propaganda by visiting their website, reposting/re-blogging their posts and keep
the message of the atrocities propagated against the LGBT people in Russia in
everybody’s minds.)
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