Communist MP calls for gay clubs to be closed in Russia
Gay clubs should be banned under a new Russian bill seeking to penalize LGBT ‘propaganda’, Nina Ostanina, a member of the country’s lower house of parliament, has said.
Nina Ostanina is member of the parliamentary opposition Communist Party and has become a prominent voice on "family values" issues. She previously identified as a "progressive."
“Gay clubs are places where one usually can find [LGBT] people… I consider them establishments that promote untraditional sexual relations,” Ostanina, the head of the parliamentary committee on family matters, told news agency RIA Novosti.
She insisted, however, that the bill does not outlaw homosexuality. “It is about propaganda, not about [LGBT] people. They will continue to live as they do now,” she said.
The Duma unanimously approved the bill during its first reading on Thursday. The proposed legislation will ban the “propaganda” of same-sex relations in the public sphere, including in the media, films, books and advertisements. It will provide for fines of up to $6,500 for individuals and $81,500 for organizations.
The bill, which was initially proposed by the state media regulator Roskomnadzor, builds on a ban on LGBT “propaganda” targeting minors, which has been in place in Russia since 2013.
Legislators are expected to attach amendments to the bill during its second reading. Ostanina said the planned ban may be expanded to cover theaters, and harsher penalties for offenders may be also considered.
