Цитаты
Надежда - это обращение к духу, обращение к сердцу, она выходит за пределы мира непосредственного опыта и бросает якорь за горизонтом. Вацлав Гавел |
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Statement about bill of St. Petersburg Legislative assembly aimed against “propaganda of homosexuality”
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 Subject of attitude of society and authorities towards sexual minorities is as painful as burning in Russia. In many civilized countries of the world public consciousness has undergone considerable transformation in this issue, and this is caused by both general tendency towards intensification of accent upon individual human rights and freedoms and long-term combat of sexual minorities for their rights. As a result, the Western society both in the sphere of social morality and in legislative sphere is strongly attached to recognition of right of people to enter into sexual relations, establish family and partnership unions so that any such unions have equal social, legal and other rights regardless of sex of people who compose them.
Certainly just a vector of development of Western society may be characterized in this way. Discord in corresponding legislation of various countries still exists, and this vector sometimes causes anxiety and resolute resistance of considerably large segments of society – for example, the Catholic church and traditional conservative circles. So the problem of sexual minorities causes fierce disputes and conflicts everywhere in various aspects – from issues of morality and criticism of “aggressiveness” of homosexual associations to juridical problems: about adoption of children by same-sex pairs, about complete juridical equalization of same-sex marriage with traditional one etc.
Russia passed much shorter way in this concern. In 20th century, when comprehension of individual human rights and dignity of personality itself radically changed in the West, Soviet regime forcedly restricted such changes including those in the issue of rights of sexual minorities. It should be reminded that homosexual relations were persecuted in the Soviet Union according to penal procedure. And though now the position of sexual minorities can be compared with the previous one in no way, both juridically and in public consciousness, we do not just stand far from recognition of equality of same-sex unions but enormous part of the society condemns them directly. Sociological interrogations, in particular those of Levada-center, show that homophobia is widely spread in Russia: thus, 74% of Russians are positive that gays and lesbians are morally dissolute or mentally retarded persons, and just 15% recognize their sexual orientation as having a right to existence equally with traditional one.
It is the unreadiness of traditional society to their recognition that is named among the reasons for such attitude of authorities and legislation towards same-sex unions. This problem really takes place, and traditional instititions have absolute right to state their negative attitude towards same-sex love – but this may take place via persuasion, upbringing, strengthening of traditional values etc. And it is impossible and inadmissible to act through prohibition here – in extent to which Russia is a member of European society and follows general legal norms and recommendations.
But unfortunately the Russian authorities and legislators follow this very way of bans. Numerous examples of dispersions of gay-parades, beating of their participants, rejections of registration of LGBT-organizations etc are well-known to everyone. And here is the new example: Legislative assembly of St. Petersburg approved a new bill on penalties for propaganda of paedophilia and non-traditional love among persons under age in first reading. According to the bill envisaging introduction of amendments into the city law on administrative delinquencies, the propagandists of sodomy, lesbianism, bisexualism, cross-gender behavior will be penalized.
Several characteristic features of proposed bill should be noted:
Retributions for sexual actions towards persons under age (paedophilia) and for “propaganda” of homosexuality are envisaged in the same law. This is hardly mere chance. Paedophilia is a criminal offence indeed, it became a scourge for modern society including Russian one too, and associating of paedophilia with non-traditional sexual relations demonstrates attitude towards them like to crimes – and this contradicts Russian legislation grossly.
It was hardly occasionally that legislators used the word “sodomy” in the bill text - this very word was used in clause of Soviet criminal code where male homosexual relations were persecuted. Thus, the legislators express their solidarity consciously with idea of criminal persecution of homosexuals.
Cross-gender behavior is noted for the first time in the bill as an object of banned propaganda. So the bill shows tendency towards intensification and expansion of confrontation with LGBT-community representatives.
Up to now nobody managed to define what is “propaganda” of homosexuality. Prohibition to show masterpieces of world cinema, popularization of outstanding literary works may be classed within such definition – let’s recall how archpriest Vs. Chaplin called to thinking about “paedophilic” contents of novels by Nabokov and Markez not long ago. It is no coincidence that many experts think that adoption of such law is actually aimed at prohibition of any activity of LGBT-organizations, and this creates preconditions for ban of gay-parades and of just open expression of feelings between people of non-traditional sexual orientation. Moreover, any public and scientific discussion of problems of sexology, sexopathology, teenager sexuality, cross-gender problems etc may be classed as “propaganda” of homosexuality. And ignoring of such problems may lead to tragic consequences – it is well-known that Russia is the leader by number of teenager suicides in the world anyway.
St. Petersburg legislators propose to introduce amendments into the bill that would toughen it even more – in particular those envisaging abrupt growth of fines and almost introduction of imprisonment for “propaganda” of homosexuality; they call to even more expansive interpretation of a notion “propaganda”.
Similar laws were already adopted in some regions – in Arkhangelsk, Ryazan regions. Thus geography of homophobic legislation expands. St. Petersburg legislators propose to place the bill already onto the federal level, so that the homophobic policy would be of state character.
Homophobia, among other phobias, is a misfortune of today’s society, and when instead of combat against it, instead of solution of real problems of decrease of public confrontation attempts are made to go back to repressive measures – this can’t but alert. |
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