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In reply to the discussion: 47,000 people, George Takei sign petition to move Sochi Olympics to Vancouver [View all]another_liberal
(8,821 posts)I do realize LGBT people face discrimination in Russia, as they do in many other countries, including our own. What I do not believe is that such discrimination is officially orchestrated or even condoned by Russia's governing authorities. Yes, there are Duma members who have managed to pass a discriminatory law against gay people, but the Russian Duma is not as important as one might think. It is not even as powerful as the various State legislatures in this country. Russian authorities take their orders from the Kremlin, that means President Putin. I have yet to see anything from him suggesting that gay-bashing has become official policy.
The video (above) showing a confrontation between Russian homophobes and LGBT demonstrators is a case in point. When the police get involved, they can be seen separating the groups and hauling off the attackers, not those who were attacked.
As to my overall point: I am just suggesting that it may take a willingness to suffer abuse at the hands of these thugs for gay people in Russia to finally gain their rights. After all, that is what it took for Blacks and gay people to gain even a semblance of equal rights in this country.