29/02/2012 : St. Petersburg joined the ‘indecent’ regions by banning what is impossible to ban
Today, on February 29, 2012, the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly after the third and last reading passed the dishonest law, banning the so-called “gay propaganda” to minors.
For the educated people it is evident that no “gay-propaganda” actually exists. This can mean that this law was created for some other purposes, for example, in order to create a barrier for the activities of human rights activist organizations.
Legislative manipulators, just to curry favor with their bosses, can with the same eagerness put their hand on other minorities: religious, national, etc. And those who are applauding vigorously to the “celebration of family values” are likely to find themselves on the black list.
“I am ashamed of St. Petersburg, I am ashamed of our deputies, -- said Igor Kochetkov, Chairman of the Russian LGBT Network. – We know that most of them realize the injustice and irrationality of this law. But those who voted for it did so not being true to their views, but being bound by duty. They simply cannot do otherwise as most of them ended up in deputy’s chairs not by choice of their electorate, but by choice of their bosses. We all know how December Duma elections were carried out”.
29 Assembly deputies voted in favor of this document, one abstained from voting, and 5 voted against it. According to the sponsor of this law, the voting was held by roll call. All fraction ‘Yabloko’ (Apple) members, except for its leader Grigory Yavlinsky, voted against the bill. What is most remarkable is that 15 deputies did not participate in the vote at all.
Since November 2011, the process of passing the bill has been accompanied by civil protests. The wave of these protests spread from St. Petersburg to other Russian cities. Even public hearings did not help. That was the first time ever when, within the walls of the Legislative Assembly, Russian academic community and human rights activists had a say concerning this improper for the modern society issue.
It is worth noting that the law prohibiting the so-called propaganda of “sodomy, lesbianism, bisexualism, transgenderism, and pedophilia to minors” is now in full force in Ryazan, Arkhangelsk, and Kostroma regions. From now on the list of ‘indecent’ regions includes the Russian “cultural capital”, St. Petersburg
From allout.org:
Since November 2011, the process of passing the bill has been accompanied by civil protests. The wave of these protests spread from St. Petersburg to other Russian cities. Even public hearings did not help. That was the first time ever when, within the walls of the Legislative Assembly, Russian academic community and human rights activists had a say concerning this improper for the modern society issue.
It is worth noting that the law prohibiting the so-called propaganda of “sodomy, lesbianism, bisexualism, transgenderism, and pedophilia to minors” is now in full force in Ryazan, Arkhangelsk, and Kostroma regions. From now on the list of ‘indecent’ regions includes the Russian “cultural capital”, St. Petersburg
From allout.org:
The last 24 hours have been a whirlwind. We just delivered your 300,000 signatures demanding an end to Russia's "gay gag rule" to Russian embassies in 8 cities around the world! All Out members like you talked with embassy staff, delivered giant "postcards," and got major coverage in international media1.
But it's not over yet. As we expected, lawmakers in St. Petersburg just voted to pass the catastrophic bill that would impose fines of up to $16,700 for "offenses” like organizing a local pride parade or a student Gay-Straight Alliance. The Governor now has just 14 days to reject the law - enough time for a final, critical push.
During our global flashmobs yesterday, we made a video highlighting just how absurd this law is - and we paired it with the music of Russia's own iconic, revered (and gay) composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky. We stayed up all night, but it was worth it! It cuts straight to the heart of why we're speaking out and will inspire others do the same ... if we get it out there.
Will you take a minute to watch this video, and share with your friends, family and colleagues? We want to get 100,000 views in the next two weeks - the timeline for the Governor to veto this shameful bill.
Tweet it, reblog it, post it to your wall, put it on your blog - if each one of us takes one minute to share this far and wide, the Governor and other decisionmakers in Russia will have to think twice about the damage this law could do to their city's reputation. Check it out here.
The conservative lawmakers who advanced the bill think St. Petersburg's governor will ratify it despite an international uproar. But Governor Poltavchenko can't ignore the fact that Saint Petersburg is Russia's #1 tourist destination - or that tens of thousands have already publicly pledged not to travel there as tourists if this backward law is signed. If we can get more people to watch this video - hundreds of thousands - then the Governor and his advisors will soon realize they have a PR disaster on their hands.
Please, watch this video and share the message now. To Russia, with love:
allout.org/stpetersburg-dont-go
Alberto, Andre, Erika, Flavia, Guillaume, Jasmin, Jeremy, Joseph, Oli, Tile and Wesley
SOURCES:
1. Washington Post: Russia ‘gay propaganda’ proposal to be protested Tuesday
www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/russia-gay- propaganda-law-to-be- protested-tuesday/2012/02/27/ gIQAFrTTeR_blog.html
2. Russia Gazette: Gay activists organize ban on St. Petersburg
www.rbth.ru/articles/2012/02/24/gay_activists_organize_ban_ on_st_petersburg_14933.html
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