The Russian Supreme Court banned the “international LGBT movement” on Thursday and labeled it as an “extremist” organization, according to The Moscow Times.
The move is the latest effort to preserve the country’s “traditional” values and comes as Russian officials claim to be “at war with the collective West.”
A conviction for participating in an “extremist” organization carries a maximum sentence of six years in jail.
Conservative leaders praised the “extremist” designation, calling it “historic” and “moral.” However, liberal leaders and activists are outraged and said it opens the door to criminalizing any LGBT advocacy as the LGBT movement is vaguely defined.
Conservative lawmaker Pyotr Tolstoy, who called “LGBT” a “well-organized project to undermine traditional societies from within,” said the Supreme Court’s decision “is a historic event because our country has encroached on the most ‘sacred’ thing that exists in the liberal world,” according to The Moscow Times.
The Orthodox Church also welcomed the move.
Vakhtang Kipshidze, an official for the Moscow Patriarchate, said:…
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