Russia wants to throw foreign nationals out of the country if they share LGBTQ+ ‘propaganda’
Two Russian men have been accused of engaging in sexual acts. (OLGA MALTSEVA / AFP)
Russia’s parliament has proposed a law that would legalise expelling foreign nationals found to be pushing LGBTQ+ “propaganda”.
Claiming to defend “non-traditional values”, the bill also proposes fines of up to 200,000 roubles (almost £3,000) alongside exile.
It would be another step towards LGBTQ+ repression in Russia after fighting against Western “decadence” was used as a justification for the war with Ukraine.
The new bill would monitor online LGBTQ+ communities closely, with actions on the internet also being considered worthy of expulsion from the country.
This fresh attack on queer people also reflects a rise in using children as an excuse to pass repressive legislation, with significantly harsher fines being proposed for pushing so-called “propaganda” to younger people.
Earlier this month Russian politicians also discussed banning LGBTQ+ media online, even for adults, with Alexander Khinshtein ranting about “the propaganda being waged against our society”, and naming Peppa Pig among some of the worst offenders.
Meanwhile in Moscow, Russian MP Alexander Khinshtein has declared war on South Park and Peppa Pig pic.twitter.com/3UCZijwkx6
— Francis Scarr (@francis_scarr) October 17, 2022
Khinshtein, the State Duma (Russian parliament) information committee chairman, has been one of the most vocal Russian politicians pushing for LGBTQ+ repression, saying earlier this year that even Russia’s current laws were “inefficient”.
“We propose to fully extend the ban on that sort of propaganda among audiences of all ages.”
Russia’s crackdown on LGBTQ+ expression also saw hefty fines placed on TikTok earlier this month after it was found to be “promoting” LGBTQ+ content to under-18s.
In accordance with previously passed regulations on gay propaganda, the company was fined three million roubles for “promoting non-traditional values, LGBT, feminism, and a distorted representation of traditional sexual values”.
