Russia to Expand LGBTQ+ 'Propaganda' Ban

Facts

• On Thursday, Russian lawmakers unanimously backed a bill that would extend an existing ban on promoting so-called LGBTQ+ "propaganda" among children to adults.
• Providing LGBTQ+ information has been a criminal offense in Russia since 2013, and anyone convicted of violating the restriction faces fines of between 50K roubles ($815) and 400K roubles ($6,520). Citizens of other nations who break the Russian law can face expulsion.
• Prohibited information includes details on "non-traditional sexual relations or preferences" and any materials that allegedly "can make minors want to change their gender."
• The ban — which must pass two more readings before being sent to Russian Pres. Putin for approval — will include portrayals of homosexual relationships in literature, on screen, in media, and in advertising.
• According to human rights campaigners and LGBTQ+ groups, the intensification of the ban effectively amounts to the criminalization of any act or mention of same-sex couples.
• Although Russia has always been a more conservative nation than the rest of Europe, the Kremlin has reportedly strengthened its public embrace of so-called "traditional values" since the start of the invasion of Ukraine in February.

Sources: Reuters, BBC News, Moscow Times, Euro, and Yahoo.

Narratives

• Anti-Russia narrative, as provided by The Independent. This bill is a censorship tool that's being used in an absurd attempt to humiliate and discriminate against the LGBTQ+ community. It's just the latest iteration of Putin's authoritarian overreach and imposition of draconian values.
• Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by RT. While the rights of sexual minorities are important to any society, the US has historically deployed its self-righteous "values-based" foreign policy as a weapon to further its global hegemony. This bill is important to safeguarding Russia's traditional principles and will go a long way to countering the West's pursuit of woke imperialism.

Predictions