AVIVA-BERLIN.de im Dezember 2024 - Beitrag vom 23.11.2011


Urgent Support Requested for Russian LGBT Network
AVIVA-Redaktion

LGBT Organization Coming Out and Side by Side LGBT Film Festival report the imminent risk of the limitation of the rights of the LGBT community.

On 11 November 2011 the legal committee of the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly introduced a bill concerning the prohibition of so-called "propaganda of sodomy, lesbianism, bisexualism and transgenderism, and pedophilia to minors" and the introduction of administrative penalties and fines. The bill was introduced by the political party United Russia.

By combining homosexuality, bisexuality, and transsexuality into one law with sexual crimes against minors (pedophilia), members of the Legislative Assembly indulge in a gross manipulation of public opinion. Their goal, to pass an anti-democratic law, directed at severely limiting human rights in St. Petersburg. In the name of "public interest" members of the Legislative Assembly have decided to blatantly ignore the Federal law, the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the European Convention for Human Rights, the Council of Europe Recommendations and other decrees by international organizations, of which Russia is a member. Another significant oversight is that no public discussions have been held.

The adoption of this law also clearly violates the interests and rights of minors. Russia leads the world in the number of teenage suicides, and ignoring issues of sexual orientation and gender identity can lead to tragic consequences. The adoption of this law will have detrimental effects on the whole of the Russian LGBT movement. The only interregional LGBT organization Russian LGBT Network, the largest grassroots LGBT organization "Coming Out", "Side by Side", LGBT Film Festival and other LGBT groups are headquartered in St. Petersburg. The LGBT movement in Russia has become so noticeable that the homophobic government can no longer ignore its existence. The state attempts to destroy LGBT organizations by using a legal framework for their arguments and discrediting them in the minds of the people.

Similar laws have already been passed in the regions of Ryazan and Arkhangelsk. At the moment, there is every reason to believe that United Russia – the party holding power – intends to adopt such a law at the federal level. This would effectively put a complete end to the work on promoting human rights for LGBT people in Russia.

Please support the LGBT community in St. Petersburg and Russia, by signing the international Online-Petition against the "Say No Gay"-Bill here: A Bill To Silence Millions

Weitere Informationen finden Sie unter:

Coming Out

Side by Side