Posted on Advocate.com November 29, 2011 01:35:00 PM ET
Russia to U.S. on St. Petersburg Antigay Bill: Butt Out
By Neal Broverman

http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/11/29/Russia_to_US_on_St_Petersburg_Antigay_Bill_Butt_Out/

The U.S. State Department is condemning a sweeping antigay law proposed in St. Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city. But the Russians have a message for the Americans: mind your business.

If passed, the law would ban gay pride parades and any public St. Petersburg event or discussion dealing with LGBT issues that could be observed by minors. The bill supposedly bans "gay propaganda"; the legislation's author believes gay gatherings negatively influence young people. The Moscow Times described the bill as "curiously equating [LGBT events] to promotion of pedophilia."

[...]

After the U.S. State Department scoffed at the most recent bill, which recently passed a first reading by St. Petersburg lawmakers, Russian officials fired back.

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'Gay propaganda' law none of US business – Russian FM official

Published: 29 November, 2011, 18:49

http://rt.com/politics/gay-propaganda-law-petersburg-477/

Moscow has expressed its perplexity over the US attempts to interfere in Russia's lawmaking process after America voiced its criticism about St. Petersburg legislation that outlaws so-called "gay propaganda".

Konstantin Dolgov, the Russian Foreign Ministry's Commissioner for Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, called comments by the US State Department "incorrect".

"We are perplexed by the American side's attempts to interfere in the legislative process in Russia, especially publicly. We consider these attempts inappropriate and inconsistent with the practice of interstate relations," he said, as cited by Interfax. Dolgov pointed out that Russia is ready to build up "a constructive dialogue" with the US on human rights problems based on mutual respect.

NOW Russia wants to play the Westphalian sovereignty card? Sorry bud, membership in the U.N. means you're above no one's scrutiny. I applaud the US for condemning this crap.

Quote from: Laura91 on November 30, 2011, 10:21:52 PMThis is why so many people hate us. We stick our damn nose in everybody's business.

If you started advocating for the legalization of homosexual marriages here in Denmark, I wouldn't be a whit upset. Advocacy for equality worldwide is hardly a bad thing! People don't have the right to oppress one another, and they can't just hide behind culture and Westphalian sovereignty to protect their abuses. So it's not acceptable (in my opinion) to simply stand idly by and say "Ah, well. It's their problem" when genuine abuses are being committed. I want the US to condemn this kind of thing everywhere. If Maoists are gathering up Capitalists and locking them up, I want the international community to rain a storm on them. If Russians are repressing their homosexual community's ability to even exist in the public sphere, I want the EU and U.N. to start punishing them for it.

National borders are very blurry things in my eyes. People are people, and they deserve their rights no matter what flag they fly.

I'm sorry, but the US cant get its own S*** together regarding GLBT rights. It need's to sweep it's own damned back porch first. There's been strides in a few states, and that's great. but there's a lot more that need to come into the 21st Century.

I'm of the opinion that international dialogue may be an even bigger part of what drives changes at the national level in the coming centuries. Sure, the US has problems to address regarding its own LGBT policies. But if they enter the international dialogue on such matters (as they have) then everyone in the international community can point out that the US is practicing hypocrisy (as we have). As a result, the US is forced to either backpedal on its expressed ideals or rise to the challenges it has set for those it condemns. And if the international community presses the US on the matter, backpedaling will become a more difficult option.

I really think part of the problem is that the US isn't listening to international criticism while hoisting its flag and crying "justice and freedom for all" every time elections roll around. We the international community need to hold the US to their own standards and demand that they practice what they preach. For example, Russia's answer shouldn't have been "stay out of our business", it should have been "you have to treat your LGBT citizens fairly too, or we're going to ignore your input."

Oh the US knows it's talking out it's butt. Heck the UK is already ahead of the US in so many areas it makes the US look Amish. But everyone except the Middle East is too scared to tell the US, " Until you can live up to your own standards and morals that you cling to so strongly, you have no say in this whatsoever."

Well then it's time for the international community to grow a pair, isn't it? The US buys more than it sells these days, it's not like we'd die without their support.