Blurred Lines: Russia Dances With Gay Propaganda, Fights Lady Gaga and Madonna
“Tonight, this is my house Russia. You can be gay in my house. And if you ever need me Moscow I will just be a telephone call away.”
So promised Lady Gaga at a December 2012 concert in Russia (remarks begin at about the 3 minute mark).
Yet for fans in Russia those calls may be temporarily left unanswered.
With the 2014 Winter Olympics around the corner, the country has come under considerable heat for its anti-gay laws. In Russia, the act of voicing support for gay rights in and of itself is considered to be “propaganda” and is therefore illegal.
In the face of international criticism Putin’s Russia is doubling down, with authorities currently investigating both Lady Gaga and Madonna for failing to comply with their travel Visas and/or for vocally supporting gay rights while in Russia. The lines on this one are more blurred than a Robin Thicke song.
Vitaly Milonov, an official with the Prosecutor General’s Office in St. Petersburg and a sponsor of the law that bans gay “propaganda,” first raised concerns that their visas, approved as a sort of cultural exchange, did not permit either pop star to reap any financial benefit from their performances.
Yet these allegations have a political undertone. Milonov first filed an application regarding Lady Gaga after her December show suggesting that she promoted homosexuality to children. Madonna was similarly sued for 10 million dollars by an anti-gay group for causing them “moral suffering” for also expressing pro-gay sentiments. Those charges were ultimately dropped.
Both stars are being investigated and could face fines or be banned from the country outright.
Regardless, they’ll find themselves in good company.
Blake Skjellerup is a New Zealand speed skater who hopes to compete on behalf of his country in the Winter Olympics being held in Russia. Skjellerup is also gay and thus engaged in a tap dance of sorts with Russian authorities who are trying to avoid looking like assholes while holding firm to their anti-gay laws.
Milonov, the same official who’s going after Lady Gaga and Madonna, has made it clear that Russian officials don’t have the authority to suspend the gay ban for the Olympics.
That said, a Russian sports minister assured news agency RIA Novosti that while gay athletes could compete, any sort of propaganda would not be tolerated.
Skjellerup isn’t fazed, vowing to wear the same rainbow button he wore attending the 2012 Olympics and promising;
“If I’m stopped at the border, I’m stopped at the border. My presence there is going to be important for me and important for the community and I guess we’re just going to have to wait and see.”
Indeed.
‘Till then, express yourself.
Blurred Lines: Russia Dances With Gay Propaganda, Fights Lady Gaga and Madonna
“Tonight, this is my house Russia. You can be gay in my house. And if you ever need me Moscow I will just be a telephone call away.”
So promised Lady Gaga at a December 2012 concert in Russia (remarks begin at about the 3 minute mark).
Yet for fans in Russia those calls may be temporarily left unanswered.
With the 2014 Winter Olympics around the corner, the country has come under considerable heat for its anti-gay laws. In Russia, the act of voicing support for gay rights in and of itself is considered to be “propaganda” and is therefore illegal.
In the face of international criticism Putin’s Russia is doubling down, with authorities currently investigating both Lady Gaga and Madonna for failing to comply with their travel Visas and/or for vocally supporting gay rights while in Russia. The lines on this one are more blurred than a Robin Thicke song.
Vitaly Milonov, an official with the Prosecutor General’s Office in St. Petersburg and a sponsor of the law that bans gay “propaganda,” first raised concerns that their visas, approved as a sort of cultural exchange, did not permit either pop star to reap any financial benefit from their performances.
Yet these allegations have a political undertone. Milonov first filed an application regarding Lady Gaga after her December show suggesting that she promoted homosexuality to children. Madonna was similarly sued for 10 million dollars by an anti-gay group for causing them “moral suffering” for also expressing pro-gay sentiments. Those charges were ultimately dropped.
Both stars are being investigated and could face fines or be banned from the country outright.
Regardless, they’ll find themselves in good company.
Blake Skjellerup is a New Zealand speed skater who hopes to compete on behalf of his country in the Winter Olympics being held in Russia. Skjellerup is also gay and thus engaged in a tap dance of sorts with Russian authorities who are trying to avoid looking like assholes while holding firm to their anti-gay laws.
Milonov, the same official who’s going after Lady Gaga and Madonna, has made it clear that Russian officials don’t have the authority to suspend the gay ban for the Olympics.
That said, a Russian sports minister assured news agency RIA Novosti that while gay athletes could compete, any sort of propaganda would not be tolerated.
Skjellerup isn’t fazed, vowing to wear the same rainbow button he wore attending the 2012 Olympics and promising;
“If I’m stopped at the border, I’m stopped at the border. My presence there is going to be important for me and important for the community and I guess we’re just going to have to wait and see.”
Indeed.
‘Till then, express yourself.
