Anti-gay bill in Ukraine calls for banning rallies, movies, TV shows depicting gays

[CriticalThought]

Anti-gay bill in Ukraine calls for banning rallies, movies, TV shows depicting gay people - The Washington Post

KIEV, Ukraine — If a group of Ukrainian lawmakers succeeds in its mission, TV shows and movies sympathetically portraying homosexuals such as “Brokeback Mountain” will be banned. So will gay pride parades.

The recently introduced bill, supported by the president’s representative in parliament, would impose prison terms of up to five years and unspecified fines for spreading “propaganda of homosexuality” — defined as positive public depiction of gays in public.


It has sparked an outcry from rights organizations in Ukraine and beyond, who condemn the bill as a throwback to Soviet times when homosexuality was a criminal offense. They also warn that harassing the gay community could lead to a spike in the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Ukraine, one of Europe’s most severe, by driving gays further underground.

Stuff like this makes me very happy we have a first amendment.

Why pick on the gays? What did we do that was so bad?

 

[Einzige]

Re: Anti-gay bill in Ukraine calls for banning rallies, movies, TV shows depicting ga

Why pick on the gays? What did we do that was so bad?

You are a political conundrum for groups like the Party of Regions: on the one hand, they want to be able to proclaim themselves the Party of a (narrow, neo-liberal) freedom; on the other hand, their voting base are religious, conservative peasants. Out of sight, out of mine: bury the contradiction if you can't resolve it.

 

[digsbe]

Re: Anti-gay bill in Ukraine calls for banning rallies, movies, TV shows depicting ga

This would be a sad violation of human rights if it's something that passes there.

 

[Einzige]

Re: Anti-gay bill in Ukraine calls for banning rallies, movies, TV shows depicting ga

This would be a sad violation of human rights if it's something that passes there.

Of course, the other side of the coin is that these Ukrainian conservatives would argue that commuters have a right to not have to pass by a 'lascivious' gay pride parade that blocks traffic on their way to work or play.

They'd be wrong, of course; nobody has any 'rights'. But they win when you essentialize the argument.

 

[StillBallin75]

Re: Anti-gay bill in Ukraine calls for banning rallies, movies, TV shows depicting ga

This would be a sad violation of human rights if it's something that passes there.

Well I take the glass half full perspective, at least the gays in the Ukraine are doing better than the gays in Uganda. Those are egregious human rights violations there.

 

[wolv67]

Re: Anti-gay bill in Ukraine calls for banning rallies, movies, TV shows depicting ga

Of course, the other side of the coin is that these Ukrainian conservatives would argue that commuters have a right to not have to pass by a 'lascivious' gay pride parade that blocks traffic on their way to work or play.

They'd be wrong, of course; nobody has any 'rights'. But they win when you essentialize the argument.

Except I'm sure other parades will have the right of way to block traffic, just not the one that offends their delicate sensibilities. This goes beyond that into ridiculous prison sentences for just stating one's opinion too.

Always thought it was a big mistake the Euro Cup was held there, as well for the huge amount of overt, even violent racism. Behaving like this means you should not get nice things. Not that it's acceptable they should have to do so, but at least lgbt and any forward thinking person that might be left in ukraine is in proximity of far more tolerable places to live. Maybe it will even meet the threshold for asylum if this passes.