Russia Moves to Ban Gay Marriage


Russian lawmakers have swiftly moved to ban same-sex marriage in line with President Vladimir Putin’s recent changes to the Constitution.

Seven senators submitted a draft bill late Tuesday to amend Russia’s Family Code and legally ban gay marriage and adoptions, including, according to its authors, by transgender people. The move comes two weeks after voters overwhelmingly approved a set of constitutional amendments that include a provision defining marriage as a “union between a man and a woman.”

“The bill ends the practice of marriage between persons of the same sex, including those who changed genders,” its co-author, senator Yelena Mizulina, told Interfax.

The text of the draft bill submitted to Russia’s lower house of parliament, the State Duma, makes no mention of banning transgender marriages or adoptions.

“The bill must be adopted due to changes in public life, including the public demand to preserve traditional family values and strengthen and protect family institutions,” it reads.

Russia does not currently register same-sex marriages. However, Russia’s Family Code recognizes marriages that were registered abroad as long as they aren’t between close relatives or people who are already registered as married.

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2020/07/1...age-a70878

"Traditional family values" - traditional means based on the past, right? I'm part Russian. My Russian ancestors were stripped of their wealth during the rise of communism and were forced into prostitution to survive. Maybe, just maybe, traditions aren't exactly the best way to go?

Anyway, while it's easy for us in North America and western Europe to point the finger at just Russians for increasing homophobia in Russia, a lot of it has to do with American Evangelicals going across the world, raising the "alarm" about gay marriage. Anti-gay activists and anti-gay organizations like "Focus on the Family" go to Russia, Africa, anywhere they can get into, and say how us lgbt+ are a plague who will soon consume their countries if they don't watch out and set up barriers.

(07-15-2020, 09:29 PM)Chase Wrote: "Traditional family values" - traditional means based on the past, right? I'm part Russian. My Russian ancestors were stripped of their wealth during the rise of communism and were forced into prostitution to survive. Maybe, just maybe, traditions aren't exactly the best way to go?

Anyway, while it's easy for us in North America and western Europe to point the finger at just Russians for increasing homophobia in Russia, a lot of it has to do with American evangelicals going across the world, raising the "alarm" about gay marriage. Anti-gay activists and anti-gay organizations like "Focus on the Family" go to Russia, Africa, anywhere they can get into, and say how us lgbt+ are a plague who will soon consume their countries if they don't watch out and set up barriers.

Had no idea that was going on. I'm not shocked by it. I am very critical of Christian Missionaries... I (sorta) know someone who is involved with a missionary in the Philippines. Don't know the organization so I can't point the finger but I always get the feeling there's strings attached.

(07-15-2020, 09:46 PM)InbetweenDreams Wrote: Had no idea that was going on. I'm not shocked by it. I am very critical of Christian Missionaries... I (sorta) know someone who is involved with a missionary in the Philippines. Don't know the organization so I can't point the finger but I always get the feeling there's strings attached.

Yeah, I also think we can't point to just religious groups. The scary thing about rising homophobia in Russia is how secular-based it is. I'm not an expert on modern day Russia, but I'm pretty sure it's nowhere near as religious as the US. Downright vile hatred is rife, and much of it has nothing to do with religion. Most anti-gay statements coming from the Kremlin have to do with "protecting the children," and thinking of homosexuality as some sort of mental illness.

no shock really - Trump will do the same if he gets another term ,

I will never step foot in Russia ever.

(07-15-2020, 10:21 PM)Chase Wrote: Yeah, I also think we can't point to just religious groups. The scary thing about rising homophobia in Russia is how secular-based it is. I'm not an expert on modern day Russia, but I'm pretty sure it's nowhere near as religious as the US. Downright vile hatred is rife, and much of it has nothing to do with religion. Most anti-gay statements coming from the Kremlin have to do with "protecting the children," and thinking of homosexuality as some sort of mental illness.

"Protecting the children" is the rhetoric behind the banning of Pride, the publication of LGBT+ material, the rise of intimidation and physical violence with the collusion of the agencies of law and order in allowing and encouraging mob violence. The situation in Chechnya, a semi-autonomous part of Russia, is even worse. As a muslim majority region it underpins its internment and murder of LGBT+ people with pronouncements from the "religion of peace". The former USSR satellites, Hungary and Poland, have active campaigns against their LGBT+ citizens outspokenly supported and encouraged by their homophobic presidents. Duda, in Poland, was re-elected at the weekend with about 51% of the vote on a platform of extending the one third of the country that have autonomously declared themselves LGBT-free zone to the whole of the country. As Raven says, I do not intend to set foot in Russia while this situation exists. I have demonstrated outside the Russian Embassy in London several times and have contributed to funding escape routes for people in danger. It is wrong that we have to do this.

"Protecting the children" strikes a chord with those of us in the UK who remember the notorious Section 28 of the 1988 Local Government Act, which forbade any discussion of LGBT+ issues in schools using disgraceful language authorised directly by Margaret Thatcher -
a local authority "shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality" or "promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship". Vile sentiments. That law here set back the gradual progress that had been made over decades and was one response in a time of devastation caused by HIV/AIDS. Again it gave a green light to homophobes and bullies everywhere to resume business as usual. We had that law in place for nearly twenty years. With a ruling party in Parliament most of whose members sought to deny LGBT+ rights and freedoms, I cannot be confident that we will never see it reintroduced.

So, while we can rail against Russia, I see the future as by no means secure for any of us. Popularist governments are springing up all over and working hard to foment hatred of minorities. Stay vigilant everyone.

(07-16-2020, 12:41 PM)marshlander Wrote: So, while we can rail against Russia, I see the future as by no means secure for any of us. Popularist governments are springing up all over and working hard to foment hatred of minorities. Stay vigilant everyone.

Very true! I think that we're still moving forward, but we do have to keep an eye out for steps backwards. The Trans community is always under attack.

As long as Putin is alive and president, one can forget about any change in LGBT lives in Russia. That's just a fact.

Putin has successfully revived the "Orthodoxy-Autocracy-Nationality" premise, as directed from above. I would assume this one of the social aspects of this particular brand of forceful homogenization of an inherently diverse population living within Russian frontiers.  

@Chase  International proselytism notwithstanding, secular as societies may become there are always anti-LGBTQ+ elements in it. Speaking from experience (watching a society get increasingly secular in my lifetime) social conservatism is often separated from and more resilient than simple religious-based conservatism. 

In Russia a majority (large or just-enough depending on the poll) of the population is still against same sex marriage. But of course what is being discussed here has more to do, as usual, with up-down policies. The political end economic elites are often slower to change than the general population so I think Putin is still the main problem here.