February 18, 2012 | Sex & Society

St Petersburg dismisses pleas to end war on gays

The local government of St Petersburg, Russia, continues to stand against allowing any rights for the gay community. Politicians have repeatedly banned gay pride parades, and now a controversial bill is being considered that would make it illegal to portray homosexuality in a positive light.

A group of mothers sent a letter to the St Petersburg lawmakers begging them to reconsider the ‘gay propaganda’ law. However, a senior official dismissed the letter as a fake, claiming that  "no one cares about offending the gay community."

The letter said: “Being homosexual is not easy. Coming out is difficult and painful, especially because these young people are alone. When they realize their nature, they are often under-aged. Many of them end up on the verge of suicide, because there is no one they can talk to about their feelings.

“Children must be enlightened, not scared. Homophobia is laughable in the 21st century. Russia’s task is to destroy homophobia and help children and their parents who face this situation.”

"There have been several of these letters," responded Vitaly Milonov, deputy of St. Petersburg’s legislative assembly,  "I suppose all of them were written by the same person. And I don’t think these were mothers. And I do not even think this to be a good example for real mothers – those who face this, I can even say, tragedy."

The European Parliament has denounced the ‘gay propaganda’ law. However, it will take more than a resolution to battle this level of ignorance.

St Petersburg lawmaker dismisses ‘fake’ mothers’ plea over anti-gay law []