The Loophole in Russia's Anti-Gay Law | Jay Michaelson - 0 views
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Russia's new anti-gay law has a loophole: The law, which has led to numerous arrests, beatings, and bans against LGBT people, specifically prohibits the "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations," but homosexuality is as traditionally Russian as vodka and caviar.
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Where does one begin the list of prominent LGBT Russians? Peter Tchaikovsky, one of Russia's foremost composers; Nikolai Gogol, one of its leading writers; from the world of dance, Diaghilev, Nijinsky, Nureyev
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fact, what is nontraditional is the suppression of sexual diversity, not its expression. Following the Russian Revolution, the regime under Lenin formally legalized homosexual acts (along with divorce and abortion), but Stalin criminalized them in 1933.
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Which of these legal regimes is "traditional" and which is "nontraditional"? Is Stalin more traditional than Lenin?
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The reality is that, as everywhere, sexual diversity in Russia is entirely traditional and entirely natural.
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Of course, contemporary labels -- "gay," "lesbian," "bisexual," "transgender" -- are culturally specific and of relatively late vintage. But the existence of same-sex relationships goes back as far as Russian history itself.
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Vitaly Milonov, the most vocal of the anti-gay bill's sponsors, had homosexuality in mind when he introduced the bill.
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a literal reading of the bill's actual language, coupled with even a passing glance at Russian history, does not agree.
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important reminder that although homosexuality goes by different names in different places and at different times, it is a traditional part of every culture that the human race has ever created.