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  • The look of the correspondent Vladimir Putin against the gay rainbow

In the enthronement of Vladimir Putin as 'tsar' an unexpected ornament has been cast: the rainbow. The longtime Russian president leaned on orthodox homophobia to bolster his conservative base after his return to the Kremlin in 2012 by banning so-called "gay propaganda". And two weeks ago he introduced the gay marriage ban into the same package of constitutional reforms that opened the door for him to remain in power until 2036. Both operations have been successful, but demographics are doing their job and a new generation of young people is placing the dignity of gays in public debate . Despite the law and against custom.

The rainbow flag, banned before many Russians had seen one, is increasingly visible in opposition mobilizations. Street rallies against the reform of the Russian Constitution have been organized in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Activists from the Net collective - 'in Russian' - collected signatures demanding the cancellation of amendments to the constitution. Especially the one that allows Putin to run for the Presidency in 2024 despite having two consecutive terms in power.

In the Russian capital, protesters gathered in Pushkin Square. About a thousand people gathered there despite the bad weather. They chanted "Russia will be free!", "Putin, thief!", "Down with the tsar!" and "1,2,3: Putin, go away!" . Along with the poet's statue, a group of teenagers raised several flags of the LGBT movement. As the line of citizens waiting to sign against the constitutional changes crossed the entire square, they began to shout: "Shame of homophobia." Many of the attendees, who were chanting anti-government slogans, turned to chant that and various proclamations in favor of the country's gays and lesbians, who in Russia are prohibited from claiming or even equating themselves with "traditional sexual orientation." It is a significant change in a country where gay complaints tend to clash mostly with indifference, and only secondly with reproach.

In Moscow the concentration was tolerated by the police. But it ended with arrests , which started when some of the protesters tried to prevent cars from passing. The initial idea was to hold a demonstration against the amendments to the Constitution, but the Moscow City Council did not give the go-ahead because mass concentrations are prohibited in the capital due to restrictions by the coronavirus. So the opponents decided to keep it in the signature collection format. Many attendees wore masks with the word 'no' written on them. "Gay people are killed here, women are beaten, and no one is responsible!" Shouted a woman in front of journalists.

While the most liberal sector of society protests, the vast parliamentary majority of the government is already making laws what the Russians voted in the Putin plebiscite. Russian lawmakers this week introduced a bill that will ban same-sex marriage after voters endorse changes to the constitution.

The bill, which is expected to be quickly approved by the State Duma (the lower house of parliament) explicitly prohibits same-sex marriage and prohibits same-sex couples from adopting children, something they currently cannot do anyway. in practice.

Support from the President

Putin has championed these restrictions since before they were on the table. "As long as I am president there will be no parent one and two, there will be mom and dad , " he said in February to the working group studying the amendments to the Constitution.

The changes, promoted by Putin, were widely approved by voters on July 1 in the same vote that opened the door for Putin to remain in power until 2036. Meanwhile, the legal circle on gay activists has continued to close. A Russian court fined LGBT activist Yulia Tsvetkova last week with 926 euros for drawing considered "propaganda" drawings in favor of gay families and aimed at "influencing minors." One of the drawings, titled 'A family is where love is,' simply shows gay couples with their children.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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