Russia and the Gay Ban: Distancing Herself from Europe

Russia has distanced itself from the homosexual 'madness' sweeping across Europe and North America by passing anti-gay law. The bill was passed by the State Duma and it has been criticised by international rights group.

The bill has the backing of 338 deputies, with only one lawmaker opposing it, Sergei Kuzin of United Russia, and one abstaining, Dmitry Gudkov of A Just Russia.

The bill, which stipulates fines for promoting homosexuality among minors, was introduced in the Duma in March by Novosibirsk regional lawmakers. The date for its consideration in the Duma had been pushed back several times before being voted on in a first reading Friday.

Gudkov wrote on Twitter that the bill was being used to distract people from "more important" topics, such as a bill passed in a first reading this week giving regions the option not to hold gubernatorial elections.

Human rights organizations said the bill would aggravate divisions in society over the issue of gay rights.

The bill is already being protested against by gay activists. A protest led to a clash between the activists and the pro-bill supporters. Police arrested 20 people in connexion to the clashes.

Similar laws have been passed in St. Petersburg and several regions including Novosibirsk, Ryazan, Arkhangelsk and Kostroma.

"A similar bill in the Ryazan region was recognized as being discriminatory by the UN Committee on Human Rights in October," said Yulia Gorbunova of Human Rights Watch. "We are concerned that instead of adjusting Russian legislation to international norms, our government wants to make the law work on the federal level."

Russia seems to be proving that she is a distinct entity in Europe with certain indigenous standards and customs.