RUSSIA: Putin's Ruling Party Mocks White House With "Heterosexual Pride" Flag

Russia has officially gone Manif Pour Tous. Via the Moscow Times:

Russia's ruling political party has designed a “heterosexual flag” to honor traditional family values, the Izvestia newspaper reported Wednesday. Copies of the flag, which feature the outlines of a man and a woman holding hands with three children, were shown to Izvestia by Andrei Lisovenko, deputy head of the United Russia branch in Moscow. The flags also come printed with the Russian-language hashtag “A Real Family.”

According to Lisovenko, the flag will have its official unveiling at Moscow's Sokolniki park later Wednesday, where hundreds of people will gather for a United Russia rally in honor of the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity, which the country celebrates annually on July 8. United Russia's decision to unveil a “heterosexual flag” comes after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to legalize same-sex marriage in late June, when the White House was lit up in the colors of the rainbow flag traditionally associated with the LGBT community.

“This is our response to same-sex marriage, to this mockery of the concept of the family. We have to warn against gay-fever at home and support traditional values in our country,” Lisovenko was quoted as saying by Izvestia. The Day of Family, Love and Fidelity is a relatively new celebration in Russia, having only been introduced in 2008. In honor of the holiday, divorces have been banned for the day in four Russian regions — Tula, Amur, Kaluga and Kurban — the Lenta.ru news site reported.

Founded only in 2001, United Russia presently holds over half of the seats in the Duma and the vast majority of the seats in Russian's regional legislatures. Putin served as its chairman from 2007 to 2012 when he assumed the presidency. (Via Towleroad)