Anti-gay bill: another stick for the Russian media

As Russia-watchers probably know, the Duma is about to pass a bill outlawing “homosexual propaganda among minors.” It was originally modeled on the St. Petersburg city law sponsored by a village idiot called Vitaly Milonov, with whom Stephen Fry had a discussion of sorts back in March. It turns out the Duma’s version has been tweaked to avoid explicitly anti-gay language. Instead, what is being outlawed is “propaganda of non-traditional” sexual relationships to minors.

On the one hand, this could mean you can’t mention any sort of non-missionary sex in a publication accessible to minors, i.e. the bill is extremely restrictive. On the other hand, few things in this world are more traditional than homosexuality? It’s been around for millenia and it’s never ever gone away. (Not to mention that gay sex was common and looked upon as a minor sin in pre-Petrine Russia though much of that was probably abuse of socially inferior boys.)

What is clear is the bill will soon give the government more legal power to fine and close disloyal media outlets.

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