President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia intensified his crackdown on L.G. On Monday, he signed a new legislation that bans public expression of their identity in the country.
The new law makes it illegal to spread propaganda about nontraditional sexual relationships on social media, advertising, movies or in the media. It passed the Duma, Russia's Parliament by a vote of 397 to 0 on November 24.
Demonstrations of nontraditional relationships or preferences will be completely barred from advertising and from any outlet visible to minors. Distributing information that causes children to want to change their sex was also prohibited.
The law is likely to put a strain on a community that has already been largely stigmatized in a country where officials have cast the repression of L.G. Q. expression was part of a wider effort to protect Russia from Western interference.