Russia’s Ministry of Justice said it has filed a lawsuit with the country’s Supreme Court to outlaw the LGBTQ+ “international public movement” due to its “extremist” activity, including inciting “social and religious strife,” as per reports.
Though it is unclear what the lawsuit will lead to, experts say that it is an ongoing crackdown on the LGBTQ+ people in Russia and pushing forward the Russian idea of masculinity.
The crackdown on the LGBTQ+ movement and promotion of masculinity is a clearly defined agenda of the Russian government, which allows President Vladimir Putin to strengthen his grip over the country.
Promoting Homophobia During Ukraine War
The crackdown, which began a decade ago, slowly took away LGBTQ+ rights. In 2013, the Kremlin adopted the first legislation restricting LGBTQ+ rights, known as the “gay propaganda” law, banning any non-critical public depiction of “nontraditional sexual relations” among minors, according to the Associated Post.
In 2020, Putin pushed through a constitutional reform to extend his rule by two more terms that also outlawed same-sex marriage.
In 2022, after sending troops into Ukraine, the Kremlin ramped up its rhetoric about protecting “traditional values” from what it called the West’s “degrading” influence, in what rights advocates saw as an attempt to legitimize the war in Ukraine.
In the same year, the authorities adopted a law banning propaganda of “nontraditional sexual relations” among adults, too, effectively outlawing any public endorsement of LGBTQ+ people.
Toughening Laws
Russian lawmakers have doubled down on attacking the rights of LGBT+ individuals and at the same time advancing ‘traditional values’ to justify its war in Ukraine.
The ‘gay propaganda’ law has been at the heart of Russia’s domestic politics and foreign engagement, according to the Human Rights Watch. The country has further expanded the scope of law and in 2020, it went so far as to include an explicit ban on same-sex marriage.
Russia, earlier this year, passed a law prohibiting gender transitioning procedures and gender-affirming care for trans people. The legislation prohibited any “medical interventions aimed at changing the sex of a person,” as well as changing one’s gender in official documents and public records.
It also amended Russia’s Family Code by listing gender change as a reason to annul a marriage and adding those “who had changed gender” to a list of people who can’t become foster or adoptive parents. Russia already has a law against “propaganda” directed at minors regarding LGBTQ relationships.
Putin Pushing Masculine Agenda
President Vladimir Putin has sought to promote his country as the antithesis of Western liberal values, pushing an increasingly conservative agenda to rally his core constituency amid heightened tension with the world’s top democracies.
Russia has sought to present LGBTQ relationships as a product of dangerous Western influence, toughening its rhetoric as Moscow presses its military campaign in Ukraine.
Putin has reiterated his stance against same-sex parents.
“Do we really want here, in our country, in Russia, instead of ‘mum’ and ‘dad’, to have ‘parent number one’, ‘parent number two’ or ‘parent number three’?” he said in speech at the Kremlin in September.
He also portrays himself in a strong and manly way to spur nationalism, which is crucial for the Russian President to remain in power. He uses a vast propaganda campaign that is focused on showing pictures of Putin doing athletic and masculine activities like riding a horse, or walking through a field.
The Russian propaganda machinery therefore shares symbolic photo of Putin with a rifle, showing his masculinity or pushing the idea of the “Russian bear” to show the superiority of strength above all else.
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