Today, the State Duma passed a law in its third reading banning LGBT propaganda, pedophilia and gender reassignment in advertising and the media, and putting such information on the banned list for children. It seems that the new bill completely prohibits the promotion of non-traditional sexual relations between people of all ages, and not only between minors, as has been so far in Russia (remember, a law prohibiting it has been in force since 2013). homosexuality propaganda among minors).
And although the bill has not yet passed through all the stages, the Ministry of Culture has already announced that it is withdrawing the distribution licenses of films with LGBT propaganda. They will also not air on broadcast platforms and television. However, there is no clear definition and criterion for “propaganda” in this draft law.
“Our initiative is not an act of censorship. We do not prohibit the mention of LGBT individuals as a phenomenon. We outright prohibit propaganda,” says Alexander Khinshtein, chairman of the Information Policy Committee, which initiated the changes.
Amendments are currently planned to five bills on information, media, government support for cinema, advertising and protecting children from information harmful to their health and development. The main bans will affect the media, websites, book and movie industries. In addition, a ban will be imposed on the sale of goods containing the meaning of “propaganda” in Russia.
What will happen to movies and theaters?
The bill requires streaming platforms to upload a code confirming the age of the user to access any information about LGBT people. There are no details about such codes in the bill yet.
Is it possible to write news about homosexuals?
LGBT propaganda will be banned in advertisements, news aggregators with an audience of more than one million users per day, social networks with an audience of more than 500,000 daily and “audio-visual services”. You cannot “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations” in the media. At the same time, it will be prohibited to show LGBT content on radio and television between 04.00-23.00. Exceptions would be paid programs for adults.
What will happen to the books and will Lolita be cancelled?
The planned changes had the biggest repercussions in the publishing business. Among the most common fears is the banning of certain works in classical literature. Earlier, the Russian Book Association, in a letter to Alexander Khinshtein, stated that Fyodor Sologub’s poem “On the Council” can be attributed to the propaganda of unconventional sexual relations, and Vladimir Nabokov’s novel “Lolita” to the propaganda of pedophilia. and the story “Sulamith” by Alexander Kuprin for the propaganda of polygamy.
However, in an interview with Kommersant, Khinshtein said that classic stories will not be subject to restrictions: “We are talking about the banning of propaganda, that is, the dissemination of information about the formation of unconventional sexual attitudes, its attractiveness. a distorted idea of the social equivalence of non-traditional sexual relations, of traditional and non-traditional sexual relations. So “Lolita” cannot be propaganda at all.”
How is LGBT propaganda different from a demonstration?
Maxim Andreev, lawyer
In an interview with The Fashion Vibes, lawyer Maxim Andreev said that propaganda is any use of certain means of influence, popularization, imposition of information, dissemination of sex change, etc., to create certain positive distorted views about this phenomenon. explained that it should be understood as
Impression is content published on social networks, media, television and other sources without image evaluation.
What will the penalties be?
First of all, there will be fines. It is assumed that penalties for LGBT propaganda among adults and children will range from 50,000 to 400,000 rubles; for pedophilia propaganda – from 200 to 800 thousand rubles. The penalty for spreading information about homosexuality or transsexuality among minors is from 50,000 to 200,000 rubles. For legal entities, the propaganda penalty will be much more serious: from 800 thousand to 10 million rubles and suspension of activities for up to 90 days. And foreigners who violate the ban may even be expelled from the country.
Source: People Talk
Errol Villanueva is an author and lifestyle journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a passion for exploring the latest trends in fashion, food, travel, and wellness, Errol’s articles are a must-read for anyone interested in living a stylish and fulfilling life.