What are the implications of Russia’s ‘anti-gay propaganda’ laws? – Palatinate
By Rory Cronin
In an age where democracy is said to be on the decline, we ought to realise that the Kremlin’s most recent update of 2013’s ‘anti-gay propaganda law’ is just a symptom of Putin’s wider ideology and agenda that has seen Ukraine invaded, and Russia locked. It is also vitally, the only key to beginning to establish safety for Russia’s LGBT population in Putin’s Russia. We must look at Russia in its entirety, because our ‘enlightened’ European ideals set against ‘the backward traditionalism’ of Russia, serves no purpose in the aid of Russia’s LGBT population in Putin’s Russia. A European model of ‘progression’ simply will not work in practice on a modern-day Russia under Putin.
The bill that Alexander Khinshtein, a member of Putin’s party, proposed to the Kremlin’s lower duma is an aggressive update to 2013’s ‘anti-gay propaganda’ law which banned the ‘spreading’ of information about LGBT relationships to children. This new proposal would seek aggressively to toughen 2013’s law to the whole of Russian society, banning referencing of all LGBT relations or even talking about them as normal. Those found guilty of this recent law face a fine up to 400,000 roubles and in extreme cases, deportation. The law, furthermore, will ensure that culture deemed ‘devious’ will cease for Russians — an end to Tchaikovsky and the ballet legacy of Rudolf Nureyev in their own homeland.
Russia’s LGBT population has a pained history
The relations which the Kremlin refers to as ‘non-traditional’ and that are the subject of this proposed law have obviously always existed in Russia. Of course, their existence is a non-negotiable fact, including in the mind of most Russians. Russia’s LGBT population has a pained history, although in urban centres (where the majority of Russians reside) it is also accepted insofar as tabooed tolerance. Before rushing to object, we’d do well to remember the homophobia rife in eastern Europe, namely Poland. In this comparison, Moscow and St Petersburg seem to many ‘progressive’, and thus invalidate any theory based on the idea of Europe’s superiority on the subject. However, this new law crucially vilifies the ‘promotion’ of these ‘non-traditional’ relations and so, it is this nuance we need to note.
The Kremlin’s attitude to those outside the ‘traditional’ nuclear family is hardly unsurprising- it is in line with how we would consider Russia would react to what Putin considers ‘a European degeneracy’. And why he believes Russia needs his war. It is once more aligned with the ‘hybrid’ war, the Kremlin reasons that the West is waging upon the Motherland and her values. The ‘special mission’ in Ukraine is just the physical manifestation of the rhetoric that has propped up Putin’s government. He, and his ministers justify their autocracy of divisive terror through constant reference to the corruption of Europe. Indeed, Putin made a vague reference to this bill in a speech last month in response to his sham elections in the four illegally annexed regions of Ukraine, suggesting that the adoption of the terms ‘parent one and two’, violated the tradition of a Russian family.
The LGBT population cannot hope for what we have in the West
The dogma behind Putin’s war has also received unwavering support from the Orthodox Church in Russia. Patriarch Kirill has regularly announced that those fighting in Ukraine, are waging war against the evils of pro-western sensibilities which support gay-pride events, and the like. Putin has presumed that Russians will heel to power dubbed ‘righteous’. The persecution of Russia’s LGBT population in this way, is just another case of Putin’s callous autocracy that took aim at the Jewish population of Ukraine under the same guise. This has obvious implications for the LGBT population, who, under these dual mill-stones cannot hope for what we have in the west.
Our focus on the plight of LGBT Russians in terms of ‘progressive ideals’, does not alleviate the suffering of Russians in question. And so, changing our intentions, and creating real, tangible action in the war in Ukraine is the only way to even begin to reach the members of Russian society persecuted under this law.
Image: Alexander Grey via Pexels
