Russia, squeeze on ‘gay propaganda’

A new and more stringent law is coming to Russia against what is called “gay propaganda”, confirming that aggressive posture abroad goes hand in hand with the cancellation of civil rights. The expression of LGBTQ culture will no longer be prohibited only in front of minors, but in front of everyone. And while the Information Policy Commission of the State Duma has given the green light to the text, the famous youtuber Yuri Dud is fined, famous for his irreverent interviews published on the video platform, on his “vDud” channel which counts on ten millions of subscribers. Dud, who had criticized the war against Ukraine, calling for the withdrawal of Russian forces, was named “foreign agent”. A Moscow court sentenced him to pay a fine of 120 thousand rubles (about two thousand euros) for violating the law against gay propaganda in front of minors. Namely for an April 2021 interview with the artist Fyodor Pavlo Andreevich. Commission President Aleksandr Khinshtein anticipated that the bill will be presented in the courtroom in the fall. The new call will also apply online, on media, social media and streaming content. The law against gay propaganda in front of minors was introduced in 2013.