Russian Lawmaker Introduces Bill To Take Children Away From Gay Parents
Just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse in Russia, lawmaker Alexei Zhuravlyov has proposed a bill that would take away gay parents custody over their own children. If passed it would make “non traditional sexual orientation” a basis for the deprivation of parental rights, placing homosexuality in the same category as alcohol and drug abuse.
The draft bill, published on parliament’s website on Thursday, comes in the wake of an anti-gay bill banning homosexual “propaganda” among minors earlier this year.
According to Pink News:
If passed the law would follow on from a piece of legislation signed into law by President Putin in July that banned gay and lesbian couples from foreign countries from adopting children.
In June of this year the Duma controversially passed a law which banned the promotion of “non traditional” relationships. This has gained international attention, with the Winter Olympics taking place in Russia next year.
LGBT activist have put pressure on both the International Olympic Committee and politicians to support a boycott of the Sochi Olympics. President Putin has sought to reassure the rest of the world by claiming that his country is not homophobic and that the Games will run smoothly. This is despite the fact that lawmakers have said that the anti-gay laws will not be suspended during the Games.
