Kremlin says LGBT movement causes social and religious discord
Story by thedailydigest.com
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Russia is a dangerous place
In Russia, being gay, trans, or identifying as anything other than a traditionally straight male or female poses significant dangers. President Vladimir Putin has shown zero tolerance for the LGBTQ+ community, to the extent that on November 30, 2023, the Russian Supreme Court deemed the “international LGBT movement” an “extremist organization.
As reported by Human Rights Watch, on November 30, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Justice Ministry lawsuit, which accused the “LGBT movement” of fanning the flames of social and religious discord in the country.
According to Tanya Lokshina, associate Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch, the Russian authorities made this decision for two reasons: “It is meant to increase the scapegoating of LGBT people to appeal to the Kremlin’s conservative supporters before the March 2024 presidential vote and to paralyze the work of rights groups countering discrimination and supporting LGBT people.”
As highlighted by The Guardian, with the new law in place as of December 1, 2023, now any person found to be participating in or financing an LGBT organization is considered to be supporting an extremist organization, and there is a hefty penalty for doing so. Russian criminal law dictates up to twelve years of prison for individuals found guilty of these crimes.
Human Rights Watch points out that this new law makes it incredibly easy for Russian authorities to toss anyone associated with the LGBTQ+ community behind bars.