Orthodox Church, Putin proxies push draconian national Russian law defining public same-sex kisses as illegal homosexual propaganda meriting $16,000 fine

Mansur Mirovalev reports:

The law would make it illegal nationwide to provide minors with information that is defined as "propaganda of sodomy, lesbianism, bisexuality and transgenderism." It includes a ban on holding public events that promote gay rights. St. Petersburg and a number of other Russian cities already have similar laws on their books.

Upping the ante: Proposed new Russian law would increase the
hooliganism charges brought against activist Pavel Samburov for
kissing his boyfriend during a protest in front of Russia's parliament
from 30 hours of detention and the equivalent of a $16 fine to a
charge of illegal "homosexual propaganda," a fine of up to $16,000.

The reputed impetus for the law is a crude nationalistic crusade engineered by Vladimir Putin to hammer minorities, especially political ones, at odds with "traditional Russian values" in order to deflect attention from increasing dissatisfaction with his administration's widening corruption and repeated power grabs.

When a dozen masked men entered a Moscow night club during a "coming out party" that campaigner Samburov organized in October, he thought they were part of the show. But then one of the masked men yelled, "Have you ordered up a fight? Here you go!" The men overturned tables, smashed dishes and beat, kicked and sprayed mace at the five dozen men and women who had gathered at the gay-friendly Freedays club, Samburov and the club's administration said.
    Four club patrons were injured, including a young woman who got broken glass in her eye, police said. Although a police station was nearby, Samburov said, it took police officers half an hour to arrive. The attackers remain unidentified.

Rev. Sergiy Rybko, special
liaison of Russian Orthodox
Church to antigay thugs

The following day, an Orthodox priest unusually adroit at self-promotion and at posturing as peaceable said he regretted that his religious role prevented him from participating in the beating.

"Until this scum gets off of Russian land, I fully share the views of those who are trying to purge our motherland of it," Rev. Sergiy Rybko was quoted as saying by the Orthodoxy and World online magazine. "We either become a tolerant Western state where everything is allowed — and lose our Christianity and moral foundations — or we will be a Christian people who live in our God-protected land in purity and godliness."