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Showing Original Post only (View all)Russia Says It Will Arrest Openly Gay Tourists [View all]
Thinking of taking a vacation to Europe this summer? If a trip to iconic city of Moscow or the edgier St. Petersburg is on your bucket list, an anti-gay law recently passed in Russia may have you thinking again. It is now outlawed to be out and proud.
In a throwback to the countrys authoritarian ruling, Russian president Vladimir Putin has signed a controversial law that punishes people for homosexual propaganda. The law fines peopleincluding touristsup to 200,000 rubles ($6,240 CDN) for propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations. For Canadianswhere same-sex marriage is legalit is unfathomable that Russias laws permit the government to arrest and detain gay, or pro-gay, foreigners for up to 14 days before they would then be expelled from the country.
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According to Voice of Russia, any display of affection between same-sex couples could cause a distorted understanding that gay relations and heterosexual relations are socially equivalent, and risk spreading Western liberalism. Putin claims the law doesnt discriminate against LGBT people, but ratherin an argument riddled with faulty logicis there to protect children from pedophilia.
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And how are these new laws going to impact tourism and the worlds spotlight on the upcoming 2014 Winter Games in Sochi? Will LGBT visitorsor anyone who embraces the gay communitywant to visit the games? While Russias laws stigmatize and target the gay community, Brazils Ministry of Tourism is working to encourage the LGBT community to visit. Brazil, which is hosting the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, as well as the 2014 World Cup.
More at link: http://www.travelandescape.ca/2013/07/russia-says-it-will-arrest-openly-gay-tourists/