The Russians have often been known for having a system of
cultural norms and values that are entirely different from countries of the
West and as such it comes as no surprise that they would clash on several issues
of importance from the civil war going on in Syria to relations with states
deemed unsavoury by the west such as Iran and North Korea, The
Russians have always have their own way of doing things, it’s part of what
makes them who they are. This time around another issue has served to divide
Russia from it’s western neighbours, the issue of LGBT rights whereas Great
Britain and New Zealand have both recently
legalized gay marriage, whereas several US states seem to be on the
verge of doing the same, The Russians are doing the opposite, instead of
granting more rights to the LGBT they
are instead getting stricter on them, gay pride parades are now banned , gay
couples are not allowed to marry or adopt children (in fact they are not recognized
at all) there is now a ban in place on cross-dressing and other transgender
activity referred to as “homosexual propaganda”
and the LGBT community seems to have very little voice in public affairs, if
this continue in this trend, Russia will soon rival our own beloved Jamaica as
the most homophobic country in the world.
The anti-LGBT movement in Russia is led by none other than
the President himself Vladimir Putin, a man who I was at first very
apprehensive of given his past connections with the KGB and also the way that
the western media seems intent on casting him as a villain, but overtime I have
grown to appreciate Putin and what he is doing, he certainly seems to be
traditionalist and conservatives than many so called conservative leaders in
North America and Western Europe, his support of strong family values, emphasizing
the rekindling ties between the Russian State and the Russian Orthodox Church,
his strong support for his allies no matter how badly western government and
western media try to portray them as villains but most of all his no-nonsense
attitude when dealing with particularly with the USA, at least the man has guts
to tell them exactly what he thinks which is more than I can say for some countries
which basically hero worships America even
when the US government constantly insults them.
Quite frankly I think that Putin is on the right track here,
it’s full time some sensible world leaders stand up and tell these LGBT
lobbyist that their country is not for sale, Putin has lead the way for other
nations that wish to preserve their traditions and not have these deviants destroy their
societies, other countries especially in the third world have long been
apprehensive of the gay communities in their countries but have felt pressured
by western powers to give in even when they really don’t want to, Russia’s
example showed them that there is another way, they don’t have to accept alternative
lifestyle in their country if that’s not what the majority of the people
support , neither should they ever be forced to accept foreign imposed value
systems into their societies.
The Russian Government and particular Vladimir Putin has received
criticisms for their stance from many quarters , US president Barack Obama even
went as far as to cancel a summit that was scheduled to be held between the two
leaders because of this (and the Snowden issue), claiming that he has no
patience for countries that do not recognize
gay rights, I’ll deal with that in a subsequent post. Celebrity figures and gay
rights lobbyist have also spoken out on
the matter calling for him to repeal the laws. However I cannot help but notice that all
the criticisms are coming from people outside Russia whereas the mood inside Russia is quite different
, Russian Athlete Yelena Isinbayeva, was overheard defending the stance of her
government, in fact one survey done found that up to 74% of Russia agreed that homosexuality
should not be permitted in their society, those on the outside can vilify Putin
all they want but it’s quite clear that he has the support of his own people
and at the end of the day that’s what’s really counts after all they are the
ones who elected him to power. All the protest noise being made up are coming
from outside not from within. Which begs the question, who gave these people
the right to dictate to Russia what laws it can and cannot enact? Since when
does celebrities and lobbyist who are not even citizens have more say in a
country’s governance than it’s elected leaders, clearly they have never heard
of sovereignty and Russia as a nation state has every right to exercise its sovereignty
for the good of the people, outsiders have no business trying to take that away
from them.
As said before Russia has its own system of norms and values
and has every right to exercise them within its own borders as an independent
nation, they might not be the same as the west but that does not make them any
less valid after all it’s not as if they’re trying to impose on the west so it
stands to reason that the west has no business imposing it’s values which are
totally alien to the Russian people and their own unique way of doing things.
