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 in the media, advertising, movies or on social media. It passed by a vote of 397 to 0 on Nov. 24th in the Duma, Russia's Parliament.
Demonstrations of nontraditional relationships or preferences will be completely barred from advertising, and from any outlet visible to minors. Distributing to minors information that causes children to want to change their sex was also prohibited.
The law is likely to put another 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.