Russian Newspaper Accused of Violating 'Gay Propaganda' Law

A Russian newspaper is under investigation for possible violation of the nation's "gay propaganda" law after publishing a story about a teacher who was fired for being gay.

The paper, Molodoi Dalnevostochnik, located in the Khabarovsk region in far eastern Russia, published an interview in September with Alexander Yermoshkin, a Khabarovsk middle-school geography teacher and LGBT activist who was let go a few days before the beginning of the school year, The Moscow Times reports. More than 600 residents, representing a group called the Movement Against Sexual Perversions, had sent school administrators a letter demanding that Yermoshkin be fired because his activities might make children think "nontraditional relations are as normal as traditional ones."

Someone who read the interview registered a complaint with the Federal Mass Media Inspection Service, the Russian government's media watchdog. Representatives of the agency have contacted the editor and conducted an investigation, but no charges have been filed yet, the Times reports.

"State investigators particularly disliked Yermoshkin's quote, 'My very existence is effective proof that homosexuality is normal,'" the Times notes.

"This statement goes against logic," said Galina Yegoshina, a specialist from the agency's regional branch. "By offering it to underage readers, the author is misleading them about the normality of homosexuality. According to the author's logic, it would be possible to call normal and even effective the existence of rapists and serial killers."

Trending stories

Here's why this Mediterranean Virgin Voyages cruise belongs on your bucket list

SFAF's Dr. Tyler TerMeer says he'll continue to fight for health care for all

Paul Tazewell dedicates Oscar to 'everyone who has the dream to fly'

EDC Las Vegas is ready to make history with iconic 2025 lineup

How climate disasters hurt mental health in young people

Dylan Efron is a dirty boy with a bizarre hot take on showering

Trump's orders prompt CDC to erase HIV resources

Elon Musk uses burner accounts on X, doesn’t fact-check: report

All 6 rogue Mississippi cops got long prison sentences in 'Goon Squad' torture of 2 Black men

Plus nominated for 2025 GLAAD Media Award alongside industry giants like Vogue, People, and Variety

Watch: Elvira gives the finger to her 'Elon Sux' Tesla and sends it off with a chainsaw

Tim Kruger's colleagues remember a 'kind, gentle, and generous' soul

France becomes world’s first country to enshrine abortion rights in constitution

Celebrating Black History Month with our annual African American issue

Joe Biden has tied the record for most LGBTQ+ judges confirmed in federal courts

Amanda Seyfried teases 'Jennifer's Body' sequel is in the works

Nonbinary singer Corook says Republicans can't 'erase transness'

Exclusive: Lady Bunny releases new 'Hot To Blow' video

Ava DuVernay, Mindy Kaling, Bretman Rock talk allyship at the Oscars

Sniffies finally releases their long-awaited app and I tried it out to see if it’s worth the fuss

Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor is 'holding space for my mother' at Oscars

Seeking escape, this lesbian sailed to the Arctic Circle

Out and About with D.K. Uzoukwu

Armie Hammer says he hooked up with 'French, handsome' man and experimented

Lexi Love goes public with HIV status after Trump wipes resources from federal website

• 0
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8

Molodoi Dalnevostochnik's editor responded that the story also shows the negative aspects of being gay. The story ran on the paper's fourth page, but the front page carried a warning that the content was for readers aged 16 and older. Russia's "propaganda law" forbids making accessible to minors anything that might show LGBT people or identities in a positive light.