Russian Federation Anti-Gay Laws:

An Analysis & Deconstruction 

BrianM.Heiss

 January 21, 2014

 

Russian Federation Anti-Gay Laws: An Analysis & Deconstruction Page 1 of 72

TableofContents

PREFACE

...........................................................................................................................................................

3EXECUTIVESUMMARY

...................................................................................................................................

6

10 T

HINGS

 Y

OU

 D

IDN

’

T

 K

NOW

 A

BOUT

 R

USSIA

’

S

 A

NTI

-G

AY

 L

AW

 & LGBT R

IGHTS

..............................................

6

CHAPTER1:THESURPRISINGSTORYOFHOWRUSSIA’SANTI-GAYLAWEMERGEDINUS ROADCASTMEDIA

........................................................................................................................................

7

T

HE

 E

ARLIEST

 C

OVERAGE BY

 US B

ROADCAST

 M

EDIA

.........................................................................................

8A

N

 U

NLIKELY

 V

OICE

 E

MERGES

, N

EWS

 C

OVERAGE

 F

OLLOWS

.............................................................................

10A B

RILLIANT

 P

UBLIC

 R

ELATIONS

 T

ACTIC

............................................................................................................

12

CHAPTER2:DECONSTRUCTING&UNDERSTANDINGTHELAWTHATSPARKEDANINTERNATIONALOUTCRY

..........................................................................................................................................................

14

T

HE

 R

EGIONAL

 B

ANS ON

 P

ROPAGANDA

...........................................................................................................

15

What caused the Russian Federation legislature to address the issue of propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations to minors? 

.......................................................................................................................

15 

T

RUSTED OR

 R

ESPECTED

 I

NDIVIDUALS

, H

ORRIFICALLY

 H

OMOPHOBIC

 W

ORDS

.....................................................

16A

NALYSIS OF

 R

USSIAN

 F

EDERATION

 F

EDERAL

 L

AW

 №

 135-FZ

.........................................................................

 18E

XAMINING THE

 P

ENALTIES FOR

 V

IOLATING

 N 135 - FZ

..................................................................................

 19

Overall Penalties for Distributing Information that is Deemed Harmful to the Health of Children 

......

19 Penalties for Violations Specifically Related to Non-Traditional Sexual Relations 

................................

 20 Penalties when Media is Utilized to Commit the Previously Mentioned Violation 

...............................

20 Penalties to Non-Citizens Who Distribute Material to Children Focused on Non-Traditional Sexual Relations 

....................................................................................................................................................

21 Penalties for Non-Citizens who Used Media to Distribute Material to Children Focused on Non-Traditional Sexual Relations 

.............................................................................................................

21 Conclusion 

................................................................................................................................................

22 

CHAPTER3:EXAMININGJUDICIALRULINGSFROM7YEARSOFREGIONALVERSIONSOFTHELAWAND6MONTHSOFTHEFEDERALLAW

....................................................................................................

24

A C

LOSER

 L

OOK

: 7 Y

EARS OF

 R

EGIONAL

 B

ANS OF THE

 P

ROPAGANDA OF

 N

ON

-T

RADITIONAL

 S

EXUAL

 R

ELATIONSTO

 M

INORS

...................................................................................................................................................

 24T

HE

 V

ARIATIONS IN THE

 L

ANGUAGE OF

 I

NDIVIDUAL

 R

EGIONAL

 B

ANS

................................................................

25P

ROSECUTIONS OF THOSE

 V

IOLATING THE

 R

EGIONAL

 P

ROPAGANDA

 L

AWS

........................................................

26T

HE

 I

MPACT ON THE

 F

EDERAL

 B

AN ON

 P

ROPAGANDA OF

 N

ON

 T

RADITIONAL

 S

EXUAL

 R

ELATIONS TO

 M

INORS

...

31

Dimitry Isakov’s Nobel Act and His Parent’s Disgusting Response 

........................................................

32 Pride Leads to a Courageous Act of Civil Disobedience 

.........................................................................

33 

A K

EY

, P

RO

-LGBT D

EVELOPMENT

 G

OES

 U

NNOTICED

: R

USSIA

 A

GREES TO

 P

ROTECT

 LGBT

 AT

 24

TH

U

NITED

N

ATIONS

 H

UMAN

 R

IGHTS

 C

OUNCIL

................................................................................................................

33

CHAPTER4:COMPARINGLG TRIGHTSINTHERUSSIANFEDERATIONANDTHEUNITEDSTATES

..

35

 

Russian Federation Anti-Gay Laws: An Analysis & Deconstruction Page 2 of 72

CHAPTER5:THEU.S.HASNOTOLERANCEFORANTI-LG TPOLICIESINALLCOUNTRIESORJUSTONECOUNTRY?

............................................................................................................................................

54CHAPTER6:WHATISMOTIVATINGTHEU.S.-LEDCAMPAIGNOFPROPAGANDAAGAINSTTHERUSSIANFEDERATION?

................................................................................................................................

59

W

HY HAS THE

 US

 GOVERNMENT AND MEDIA PROPAGATED INACCURATE INFORMATION ABOUT THE

 R

USSIAN

F

EDERATION

’

S BAN ON PROPAGANDA OF NON

-

TRADITIONAL SEXUAL

?

..............................................................

 59R

USSIAN

 B

OX

 O

FFICE

 I

S A

 C

RITICALLY

 I

MPORTANT

 R

EVENUE

 S

TREAM FOR

 H

OLLYWOOD

...................................

63

Key Facts About Russia’s Growing Importance to Hollywood: 

................................................................

63 

R

USSIA

’

S

 R

APID

 E

NTERTAINMENT

 & M

EDIA

 M

ARKET

 G

ROWTH IN

 A

LL

 C

ONSUMER

 S

EGMENTS

...........................

65T

HE

 P

OTENTIALLY

 E

NORMOUS

 I

MPACT ON

 C

ORPORATIONS

 W

HO

 V

IOLATE

 R

USSIAN

 F

EDERATION

F

EDERAL

 L

AW

 №

 135-FZ

..............................................................................................................................

 66

Take for Example the Viacom Corporation: 

.............................................................................................

67  The Potential Impact of a Violation 

........................................................................................................

 69 

THE

 P

INNACLE

 Q

UESTION

:

..............................................................................................................................

69

AFTERWORD.

..................................................................................................................................................

71

AbouttheCove Image:

The cover artwork of this paper is part of the “Welcome! Sochi 2014” series by artist Vasily Slonov of  Krasnoyarsk, Siberia. Mr Slonov is with the 11-12 Gallery http://www.11-12gallery.com/artists/vasily-slonov The work is being used ,in this freely distributed white paper, in conjunction with Article 19 of Russian Federation Law on Copyright and Neighboring Rights.

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1 http://www.copyright.ru/ru/documents/zakoni/