Beyond vodka and caviar; lawmaker wants CA pension fund to stop Russian investments over abuse of LGBTs

Also, a straight line from discredited University of Texas Regnerus study to recent antiLGBT legislation in Russia. Also, Russians may have provided misleading translations of their antiLGBT legislation to the International Olympic Committee.

     ...The Senate resolution, which Leno said will be passed in the coming weeks, could be the precursor to actual legislation barring investments in Russia.
      The resolution notes that homophobic laws have already led to violence against LGBT people in Russia and says the new law allows “police officers to arrest tourists and foreign nationals.”
      ...“We hope this resolution will bring greater attention to what (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is doing in Russia and encourage other states to follow our lead.This is classic scapegoating, a despotic ruler trying to solidify his power,” Leno said. “We’ve seen this throughout history, and it can potentially lead to genocide.”
      Leno pointed toward direct investments such as the California Public Employees’ Retirement System’s recently announced stake in a Moscow shopping mall as the types of deals that should be avoided in the future.
      “We are talking billions of dollars, potentially,” he said. “The resolution is not urging for divestment — it is prospective. Clearly investment decisions have been made up to this point, prior to the enactment of these laws, but now, with our knowledge of what is occurring in Russia, it seems appropriate the California investment funds should in the future no longer invest in Russia until these laws are repealed.”

Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch is documenting intimidation of critical journalists by local Russian authorities in Sochi, site of the next Winter Olympics. Make no mistake; warmed-over KGB thug Vladimir Putin's orchestrated attacks on LGBTs is only part of his crackdown on all dissenters: