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Ukrainian move to outlaw the promotion of homosexuality gaining momentum

Oct 6th, 2012 | By By Ciardubh | Category: Leave a Comment Posted in Current Affairs
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Earlier this week the government of Ukraine passed the first reading of a bill designed to combat the ‘promotion of homosexuality’ with some 289 of the 350 MPs present voting in favour. This comes despite repeated international condemnation of the proposed law – especially from the EU – but is expected to be popular with most Ukranian citizens and the legislature will, no doubt, have their eye on the forth coming parliamentary election on the 28th of this month.

If passed, the new law will prohibit the import and dissemination of materials which ‘promote homosexuality’. Exactly what items the lawmakers have in mind is not clearly defined but the threat that homosexuality poses is deemed to be very high:
The spread of homosexuality constitutes a threat to national security as it leads to an HIV/AIDS epidemic and also destroys the institute of family and can trigger a demographic crisis.
Predictably, the justification for the proposed law is the protection of children whose young, impressionable minds might be warped and permanently damaged by the existence of the odd leaflet advertising a support network or Elton John (he was performing in Kiev this summer when he pleaded, in vain, for the country not to turn its back on their LGBT community).
In an amazing feat of political gymnastics the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said they expect “that the bill prohibiting the promotion of homosexuality, if it is adopted as a whole, will take into account Ukraine’s international commitments regarding the protection of human rights, particularly the rights of sexual minorities.”
Amnesty International’s Heather McGill had the following to say -

The draft laws appear to be the outcome of stereotypical views on homosexuality rather than the result of a thorough process aimed at seeking the views of children and ensuring their best interest. If it is to live up to European and international human rights standards, the Ukrainian government must strive to create a society in which diversity is viewed not as a threat, but as a source of enrichment for society as a whole.

 

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