Russian MPs back 'gay propaganda' ban amid scuffles
The Russian parliament has backed a ban on the promotion of homosexuality among children in its first reading, amid scuffles on the street outside.
Police made arrests outside the State Duma in Moscow after gay rights supporters planning a "kiss-in" were assaulted by opponents.
The bill echoes laws passed by Russian cities such as St Petersburg.
Human rights campaigner Lyudmila Alexeyeva said its real aim was to "curb the rights of sexual minorities".
The bill faces two more readings in the State Duma, after which it must be approved by the upper house (Federation Council) and President Vladimir Putin before it can become law.
If passed, it would mean that across Russia events promoting gay rights would be banned and the organisers fined, the BBC's Steve Rosenberg reports from Moscow.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21194710
From the BBC World News, an interesting look into Russia. It's trying to make a law that will ban minors from seeing what's deemed "homosexual propaganda"--and to those who expose their children to such propaganda to be made criminals, etc. I believe what I heard on the radio this morning was a follow up to this story. In the follow up they interviewed two Russian homosexual couples who have children and the trials they face.
One couple lives in Moscow and more openly, and can due so to due to the more liberally minded part of Russia she lives in (though their children on one occasion had to deal with what was termed "homophobic torment"). She made the comment that the law is simply there for corruption purposes and selective enforcement.
The second couple they wouldn't give any information about because they lived in an obviously more provincial place of Russia and were afraid that if they disclosed any information that their secret would be out. The two men had to live as though they were roommates and even keep the relationship a secret from the young boy they'd adopted (well, adopted by one of them). The one who's officially adopted the boy talked about how the principal of his son's school and other members of the community think it's a shame that the boy is growing up outside of a "normal" family and lacks a "motherly influence"--though apparently they don't suspect that the man is homosexual. He points out that his son is one of the top students in his class and yadda yadda, and how the community isn't focused on another single parent (a mother) in getting her to find a "fatherly" influence for her children.
Then the BBC interviewed the guy proposing the law and he went on and on about how society had a right to impose the majority view on the minority essentially (not his exact words but the gist of it). And that children should be raised to know that non "normal" families and lifestyles were completely "unacceptable". When asked to define what "homosexual propaganda" was, he dodged the question by challenging the interviewer to look back to his mid-20th Century British forefathers, as they would be able to provide a better definition than he would. Through the course of questioning the guy did manage to admit he thought simply having gay families with children and gay pride parades as promoting "homosexual propaganda".
There was something about the entire "impose society's will" and "make all those who aren't normal suffer" that seems Turning related to me. 
~Chas'88
"There have always been people who say: "The war will be over someday." I say there's no guarantee the war will ever be over. Naturally a brief intermission is conceivable. Maybe the war needs a breather, a war can even break its neck, so to speak. But the kings and emperors, not to mention the pope, will always come to its help in adversity. ON the whole, I'd say this war has very little to worry about, it'll live to a ripe old age."
Originally Posted by Silent39
