Introduction
“On January 25, Kremlin-friendly journalist Anton Krasovsky invited a bunch of drag queens on his show on KontrTV, a Kremlin-owned channel. It was his personal protest against a proposed law in the Russian parliament, the Duma, which would ban distributing “gay propaganda” to minors. “I’m gay,” he said on the air. “And I’m as much of a person as you, my dear viewers, as President Putin, Prime Minister Medvedev, and the deputies of the Duma.” The transmission was cut instantly. That night, everything Krasovsky had done for the channel was cleared from its site. Later that night, he was fired via text message.” This shows the horrible discrimination against LGBT people in Russia. The problem is only getting worse, as rumors of anti-gay camps are being spread. While groups of protesters and activists have held flash mobs, protests, and marches to combat these unfair laws, there has been no improvement in the government, and police are ignoring the harsh treatment of gay people, except for when it benefits them. Currently, gay marriage is illegal, and there are multiple laws in progress that would increase the already considerable amount of discrimination gay people face in Russia.
Historical Background
Laws on being gay in Russia have changed over the years, but it has mostly correlated based on the leaders and their beliefs. In the Soviet Union, homosexuality was made legal in 1917 by the Soviet Government. Even though it was legal, discriminatory laws were still made, and gay people in Russia did not have the same rights as others. Gay people were sometimes attacked for their sexual preference. The government kept switching their views on homosexuality. Sometimes it was classified as a mental disorder, and sometimes the were advocating for their rights. Gay rights for women were completely ignored.
A Russian law that prohibits any kind of “gay propaganda” has been in place since July 30th, 2013, and has made it completely impossible to end the discrimination against gay people. The law bans any kind of representation in the media or in public. The law was introduced by Yelena Mizulina, a Russian politician. She has helped pass many laws, but is most infamous for helping to pass a law that would decriminalize domestic violence. The Russian Constitution, Article 19, Section 2, says that “The State shall guarantee the equality of rights and freedoms of man and citizen, regardless of sex, race, …membership of public associations, and also of other circumstances. All forms of limitations of human rights on social, racial, national, linguistic or religious grounds shall be banned.” However, this does not include equality based on sexuality, which makes it possible for laws to be passed that blatantly discriminate against gay people. Rumors of anti-gay camps in Chechnya, a Russian territory, are also being spread. “Maksim said it had started with a chat room conversation with “a very good old friend who is also gay,” and who suggested that they meet at an apartment. When Maksim arrived, however, he was greeted not by his friend but by agents who beat him. Later, they strapped him to a chair, attached electrical wires and began an interrogation. “It was unbearably painful; I was hanging on with my last strength,” he added. “But I didn’t tell them anything.” Anti-gay camps often use electroshock therapy to try and change the person’s sexuality. This goes against the UDHR by violating the No Torture right. Because these people are being captured and tortured, it should be against the law, but for the most part, it is overlooked. The discriminatory laws and beliefs in Russia have even led to some cases of police corruption, where the police will not help gay people in potentially life-threatening situations.
On November 15, 2013, an open letter to Russian President Putin was written regarding the discriminatory anti-LGBT laws. “These laws are tearing apart the lives of Russian LGBT citizens and their families. They also impact Russian and foreign citizens, organizations and businesses that want the best for your country, and that are committed to building partnerships that are in your interests…We are also extremely concerned about pending legislation that threatens to remove children from same-sex parents – the homes they’ve known, the families they love.” The letter was not taken into consideration when making current LGBT laws, and the Russian government has continued to make even harsher laws concerning gay rights.
Conclusion
Since 1850, LGBT rights in Russia have clearly decreased. However, they did not start to decrease for a while, as being gay was not openly talked about until recently in history. While discrimination based on race, religion, and gender have been almost completely nullified, widespread discrimination based on sexual orientation still exists in the world today. The decline of these rights in Russia is significant because sexual orientation is just as big of a part of us as our race or our religion, yet it is still discriminated against.