(Reuters) – According to Belarusian state news agency Belta, Belarus has drafted a bill that aims to penalize the “promotion of non-traditional relationships,” specifically referring to LGBT relationships. Prosecutor General Andrei Shved was quoted by Belta as saying that the bill seeks to establish administrative liability for promoting “abnormal relationships, pedophilia, and the voluntary refusal to have children”.
Shved mentioned that the draft law is currently going through the approval process. This move by Belarus echoes a similar anti-gay propaganda law implemented in Russia back in 2013, which effectively prohibits any public expression of the behavior or lifestyle of LGBT individuals.
Belarus, on the other hand, decriminalized homosexuality in 1994. However, the country does not recognize same-sex marriages, and authorities have been cracking down on LGBT pride parades.
Russian President Alexander Lukashenko has openly derided LGBT people, referring to gay men as “perverts” and “the ultimate abomination” in a speech to politicians last year. It is worth noting that Lukashenko is a strong supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Just last December, Russia’s Supreme Court took a step further by outlawing what it termed as the “international LGBT social movement,” labeling it as an extremist organization. The impact of these developments on the LGBTQ community in Belarus and Russia remains to be seen.
The apparent targeting of the LGBTQ community through legislative and judicial actions has drawn attention to human rights concerns in both countries, with international organizations and advocates condemning these measures as discriminatory and oppressive.
It is unclear how the proposed legislation in Belarus will impact the daily lives and rights of individuals who identify as LGBTQ. The situation calls for continued monitoring and advocacy efforts to ensure that the rights and dignity of all individuals are respected and protected.
(Reporting by Lucy Papachristou; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
