Russia proposes law to expel foreigners who push ‘LGBTQ+ propaganda’

Russia’s lower house of parliament proposed a law that foreign nationals who publish LGBTQ+ “propaganda” should be expelled from the country and fined, Russian state media TASS reported.

The bill suggests “punishing propaganda of non-traditional values” with an administrative fine of 100,000 to 200,000 rubles (€1,650-€3,300) and subsequent expulsion from Russia, if the “crime” is committed among adults, including on the internet. If minors are involved, a steeper fine is proposed.

This bill would be another weapon in Russia’s repressive arsenal against LGBTQ+ people. A so-called gay propaganda law, which prohibits distributing among minors information about what Russia calls “non-traditional lifestyles,” has been in place in Russia for almost a decade.

Russia’s parliament has been stepping up its rhetoric against the LGBTQ+ community in recent days, linking the war in Ukraine to the fight against Western “decadence,”

Via POLITICO