United Nations Urges Russia to Repeal Antigay Laws

The human rights office of the United Nations is now adding its voice to the growing number of those who have spoken out to condemn Russia's recently passed antigay legislation, which bans the dissemination of so-called gay propaganda, and is asking the country to repeal the law, reports Pink News.

Also concerning the U.N. human rights office is the fact that areas in the Republic of Moldova have also adopted similar laws targeting LGBT people, and the Ukraine has been considering the adoption of antigay legislation as well.

"Such measures form the basis for standing and regular harassment, and even arbitrary detention, and help create a climate of fear for anyone working on advancing the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people," human rights adviser Claude Cahn told Pink News. He added that laws such as these are "inherently discriminatory in both intent and effect."

As an alternative, the office is pushing for "comprehensive nondiscriminatory sexuality education" for countries that are considering or have adopted antigay laws. The proposed education would include information about HIV and AIDS, STIs, and homophobia.

Since Russian president Vladimir Putin signed the so-called gay propaganda bill into law, the country has seen an increase in violence toward LGBT people. In one of the recent incidents, five assailants stripped and attacked a transgender woman and posted a video of the beating to a Russian social networking site.