In Brief

Staff Reports

Russian Parliament Considers Draconian Anti-Gay Legislation

MOSCOW, RUSSIA -- A measure introduced by the Novosibirsk Region Legislative Assembly in the Russian national parliament- known as the State Duma- that mirrors several recent pieces of legislation passed in the Russian Federation's Oblasts in St. Petersburg, Arkhangelsk, Astrakhan, and Ryazan effectively makes any mention of or about homosexuality among minors an administrative offence.

The bill stipulates administrative fines of up to 5,000 rubles ($170) for individuals, up to 50,000 rubles ($1,700) for officials and up to 500,000 ($17,000) for legal entities.

First Deputy Chairman of the Duma Committee on Constitutional Legislation, Vyacheslav Lysakov said;

"I believe that the proposal, which provides for administrative responsibility for these acts against minors - they are quite reasonable, and if the State Duma will consider this bill, I'll support it "- said Lysakov on Thursday. 

He noted that while most have not seen the bill and can now only speak about his idea. He emphasized that the very sexual preference should not be subjected to legislative control. 

"The fact that for children, young people, I think that the idea of my colleagues has a right to exist because of certain accessories - sexual minorities have multiple sites, and promotion - direct or indirect - of homosexuality becomes large scale, "- said Lysakov.

The legislation will complicate efforts by LGBTQ activists to organize a Russian Gay Pride parade anywhere in the Russian Federation. Numerous attempts to hold gay rights protests in Moscow and elsewhere have been either vetoed by officials or broken up by riot police and right-wing groups. The bill was submitted a week after State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin said that lawmakers will thoroughly study a draft federal law banning promotion of homosexuality among minors once it is submitted to the parliament.

Russian LGBTQ equality rights activists condemned the federal Legislation to ban mention of or about homosexuality, and leading Russian LGBTQ activist Nikolai Alexeyev, called on the State Duma deputies to await evaluation of similar laws passed in the Russian regions by the Committee on Human Rights of the UN as well as the European Court.

The Russian Orthodox Church has endorsed national legislation making the promotion of homosexual, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender practices among minors an administrative offense. Homosexuality was punishable by prison terms in the Soviet Union and was only decriminalized by President Boris Yeltsin in 1993, although discrimination against gay people remains widespread. 

According to a 2010 survey by the independent Levada Center polling agency, 74 percent of respondents said gays and lesbians were "amoral" and "mentally defective," while only 45 percent said they should enjoy the same rights as heterosexuals.

Tolerance Message On T-Shirt Sparks Conversation In Maine Community

Brunswick High School (Maine)

BRUNSWICK, MAINE -- A bright yellow t-shirt with the message, “Gay? Fine by me,” that a first-year math teacher hung on her classroom wall has elicited reactions that amazed even her. Brunswick High School instructor McKell Barnes and the rest of the school’s faculty had attended an in-school workshop on the topic of creating a safe and accepting school environment for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered students last week. She was given the colourful T-shirt at the end of the workshop, and after consultation and agreement from the other faculty members who also utilise her classroom, decided to pin it up on a wall.

Barnes was prepared for reactions from her students but was shocked when several dozen of them told her they wanted a T-shirt as well. Barnes ended up ordering 160 of the shirts which she plans to sell with profits to benefit the high school's Gay-Straight Alliance on a Facebook page she set-up.

“I was completely taken off-guard,” said Barnes, “The response has been incredible. At first I just sent it to my close friends and they encouraged me to spread the word,” she said. “Within a week, close to 600 people had joined [the Facebook page] and another 4,500 have been invited.”

LGBTQ Equality Rights is a controversial subject in the state. A same-sex marriage bill adopted by the Legislature in 2009, was repealed later that year in a hotly contested ballot initiative. This year, the state's voters will weigh in again on the subject of same-sex marriage on a citizen-initiated bill that would finally legalise same-sex marriage in Maine.

According to Barnes and one student, senior Julia Brown, who is president of the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance, there is no political agenda involved. Both agreed that the subject and focus must be on tolerance and acceptance to reduce incidents of bullying and increase awareness of differences in people of every persuasion.

“Do we need the high school to be a comfortable place for LGBTQ youth to walk around? Absolutely,” said Brown. “I think it’s needed everywhere, to be honest. In this high school specifically there are always institutionalized places that are not safe for LGBTQ students, but then there are also individuals who need to be persuaded to acceptance and compassion. I think those are all universal traits that any school or community or society should be fostering.”

The Bangor Daily News, a local paper, reports that there are some, such as Pastor Bob Emrich of Plymouth, a well-known opponent of past gay marriage initiatives and chairman of a group called Protect Marriage Maine in opposition to this November’s referendum, who don’t think a public school is an appropriate venue for such a conversation.

“I think this is way out of line for a teacher to be advocating a particular lifestyle,” he said. “The irony of this is pretty striking. The biggest criticism we had in the last campaign was that changing the definition of marriage would change discussions within our schools. That’s exactly what they are doing.”

Asked whether Barnes’ and Brown’s contention that the T-shirt project is about the wider issues of acceptance and bullying, Emrich said there are lots of ways to get that point across without bringing homosexuality into the discussion.

“The fact that people mistreat each other, whether it’s bullying or anything else, is just wrong,” he said. “To turn it into an issue of gay or straight minimizes that. Why not have T-shirts that say ‘Overweight? Fine by me’? Why don’t they do short or tall? You don’t see a tall-short alliance, do you? If this is really about bullying and people being treated fairly, why not do that? I would support that 100 percent.”

Brunswick High School Principal Donna Borowick said having workshops in favor of creating a welcoming environment for gay students are hosted by the school every few years.

“I’m really proud of the kids for stepping up and seeing this as a way to support their fellow students,” she said.