(Be sure to raed the comments at the end of his OP if you ahve time!)

Russia’s Anti-Gay Crackdown

By
HARVEY FIERSTEIN

RUSSIA’S president, Vladimir V. Putin, has declared war on homosexuals. So far, the world has mostly been silent.
On July 3, Mr. Putin signed a law banning the adoption of Russian-born
children not only to gay couples but also to any couple or single parent
living in any country where marriage equality exists in any form.
A few days earlier, just six months before Russia hosts the 2014 Winter Games, Mr. Putin signed a law allowing police officers to arrest tourists and foreign nationals they
suspect of being homosexual, lesbian or “pro-gay” and detain them for up
to 14 days. Contrary to what the International Olympic Committee says,
the law could mean that any Olympic athlete, trainer, reporter, family
member or fan who is gay — or suspected of being gay, or just accused of
being gay — can go to jail.
Earlier in June, Mr. Putin signed yet another antigay bill, classifying
“homosexual propaganda” as pornography. The law is broad and vague, so
that any teacher who tells students that homosexuality is not evil, any
parents who tell their child that homosexuality is normal, or anyone who
makes pro-gay statements deemed accessible to someone underage is now
subject to arrest and fines. Even a judge, lawyer or lawmaker cannot
publicly argue for tolerance without the threat of punishment.
Finally, it is rumored that Mr. Putin is about to sign an edict that
would remove children from their own families if the parents are either
gay or lesbian or suspected of being gay or lesbian. The police would
have the authority to remove children from adoptive homes as well as
from their own biological parents.
Not surprisingly, some gay and lesbian families are already beginning to plan their escapes from Russia.
Why is Mr. Putin so determined to criminalize homosexuality? He has
defended his actions by saying that the Russian birthrate is diminishing
and that Russian families as a whole are in danger of decline. That may
be. But if that is truly his concern, he should be embracing gay and
lesbian couples who, in my world, are breeding like proverbial bunnies.
These days I rarely meet a gay couple who aren’t raising children.
And if Mr. Putin thinks he is protecting heterosexual marriage by
denying us the same unions, he hasn’t kept up with the research. Studies
from San Diego State University compared homosexual civil unions and
heterosexual marriages in Vermont and found that the same-sex
relationships demonstrate higher levels of satisfaction, sexual
fulfillment and happiness. (Vermont legalized same-sex marriages in
2009, after the study was completed.)
Mr. Putin also says that his adoption ban was enacted to protect
children from pedophiles. Once again the research does not support the
homophobic rhetoric. About 90 percent of pedophiles are heterosexual men.
Mr. Putin’s true motives lie elsewhere. Historically this kind of
scapegoating is used by politicians to solidify their bases and draw
attention away from their failing policies, and no doubt this is what’s
happening in Russia. Counting on the natural backlash against the
success of marriage equality around the world and recruiting support
from conservative religious organizations, Mr. Putin has sallied forth
into this battle, figuring that the only opposition he will face will
come from the left, his favorite boogeyman.
Mr. Putin’s campaign against lesbian, gay and bisexual people is one of
distraction, a strategy of demonizing a minority for political gain
taken straight from the Nazi playbook. Can we allow this war against
human rights to go unanswered? Although Mr. Putin may think he can
control his creation, history proves he cannot: his condemnations are
permission to commit violence against gays and lesbians. In May a young
gay man was murdered in the city of Volgograd. He was beaten, his body
violated with beer bottles, his clothing set on fire, his head crushed
with a rock. This is most likely just the beginning.
Nevertheless, the rest of the world remains almost completely ignorant
of Mr. Putin’s agenda. His adoption restrictions have received some
attention, but it has been largely limited to people involved in
international adoptions.
This must change. With Russia about to hold the Winter Games in Sochi,
the country is open to pressure. American and world leaders must speak
out against Mr. Putin’s attacks and the violence they foster. The
Olympic Committee must demand the retraction of these laws under threat
of boycott.
In 1936 the world attended the Olympics in Germany. Few participants
said a word about Hitler’s campaign against the Jews. Supporters of that
decision point proudly to the triumph of Jesse Owens, while I point
with dread to the Holocaust and world war. There is a price for
tolerating intolerance.