RUSSIA: Activists File Legal Challenge To Ban On "Promoting" Homosexuality

Activists today filed a legal challenge to St. Petersburg's ban on the "promotion" of homosexuality, which went into effect last month.

According to the activists the law is inconsistent with the federal legislation. In particular it contradicts the administrative code of Russia by using such terms as "propaganda", "bisexualsm", "transgenderism", "traditional and nontraditional family relationships", none of which are defined anywhere in the legislation. Thus, it is impossible to define the object of the violation and arbitrary interpretations are likely to arise. Any public mention of homosexuality may be considered as an administrative offense.

Moreover, the adopted norm violates the principle of the equality in front of the law, as it states the inequality of "traditional" and "nontraditional family relationships". LGBT-activists also point out that according to the law on the general guarantees of children's' rights in Russian Federation minors are guaranteed protection from the propaganda of social inequality or intolerance. The law signed by St. Petersburg governor on the contrary asserts social inferiority of same-sex families and is likely to lead to the incitement of social hatred and the increase of violence against LGBT-people.

Russia's national parliament may soon consider a federal version of the ban in St. Petersburg.

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