Antigay Attitudes Intensify in Russia

As Russia contemplates a new national antigay law, a new survey indicates hostility to LGBT people in the country is on the rise.

In the survey released Tuesday by the Levada Center, a Russian polling organization, 22% of respondents said they think LGBT people should be "cured," up five percentage points from eight years ago, when a similar poll was conducted, Gay Star News reports. Some 23% of respondents expressed a live-and-let-live attitude toward the LGBT population, down seven percentage points in the past eight years. A total of 16% said LGBTs should be isolated from society, up from 12% in the previous study.

Other findings included that 85% opposed same-sex marriage, 87% did not want gay pride celebrations in their cities, 80% opposed letting gay couples adopt children, and 5% said LGBT people should be "liquidated."

The survey of 1,600 Russians, conducted in February, comes as the national government considers a law against "homosexual propaganda" similar to those enacted in the city of St. Petersburg and nine other cities or regions. The law would impose fines for any positive public mentions of homosexuality that might be accessible to minors, in effect outlawing pride parades and other public events. It was approved by the State Duma, the lower house of Parliament, in January, but must go through two more votes and be signed by President Vladimir Putin before taking effect.