Quote:
Originally Posted by FanIn80
Some facts about rights and legal issues in Russia, as they relate to the sexual orientation of individuals:
- The age of consent currently stands at 16 since 2003, regardless of sexual orientation.
- Transsexual and transgender people can change their legal gender after corresponding medical procedures since 1997.
- Homosexuality was officially removed from the Russian list of mental illnesses in 1999 (after endorsing ICD-10).
- There is currently no legal recognition of same-sex unions in Russia, and same-sex marriages are not allowed. Public support for gay marriages is at 16% as of 2013.
- As far as adoptions of children: single persons living within Russia, regardless of their sexual orientation, can adopt children. Russian children can be adopted by a single homosexual who lives in a foreign country provided that country does not recognize same-sex marriage. A couple can adopt children together, as a couple, only if they are a married heterosexual couple.
- Gay people (at least officially) can serve in the military on a par with heterosexual people since 2003.
Public opinion in Russia tends to be among the most hostile toward homosexuality in the western world, and the level of intolerance has been rising. A 2013 survey found that 74% of Russians said homosexuality should not be accepted by society (up from 60% in 2002), compared to 16% who said that homosexuality should be accepted by society. In a 2007 survey, 68% of Russians said homosexuality is always wrong (54%) or almost always wrong (14%). In a 2005 poll, 44% of Russians were in favor of making homosexual acts between consenting adults a criminal act; at the same time, 43% of Russians supported a legal ban on discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. There is a visible LGBT community network, mostly in major cities like Moscow and Saint Petersburg, including nightclubs and political organizations.
Same-sex marriages are not allowed in Russia. At a press conference, head of the Moscow Registry Office Irina Muravyova declared: "Attempts by same-sex couples to marry both in Moscow and elsewhere in Russia are doomed to fail. We live in a civil society, we are guided by the federal law, [and] by the Constitution that clearly says: marriage in Russia is between a man and a woman. Such a marriage [same-sex] cannot be contracted in Russia." |
If it's truly a burden on them they're free to leave Russia.
I support this law, and I'm not going to apologize to anyone for that. In Canada, we have freedom of speech laws and I'm completely entitled to my opinion. Also, if the vast majority of Russians find this offensive, then it's
completely in line with a true democracy (most will probably confuse a democracy with a republic so read up on that if you want to argue that in a democracy minority rights are 100% guaranteed - in a democracy majority rules). At the end of the day everyone has to comply with laws and stay out of trouble. I don't disrespect gays and conversations end if sexuality is brought up - as that's rude. I comply with Canadian laws and even my own religious beliefs by respecting them but disagreeing with them on this issue. Considering this "community" has overwhelmingly large STD rates, that's a great risk to everyone's health. At the same time they could technically still do what they do in Russia, but they have to comply with Russian laws, just like anywhere else. If it means that much to them then they should move.
The olympics - are merely a commercial sporting event that shouldn't even exist or receive taxpayer money. If you want a rainbow patch, why does that take precedent over an anti-NSA patch or an anti-Federal Reserve patch? It's very ignorant for this group to steal attention from issues that are costing people their lives; and if you put a patch on olympic uniforms just for this group, then our national jerseys will end up looking like european hockey jerseys with tens of advert patches.