Tuesday July 27, 2010
Russian Ministry Denies Lobby Permit to Same-Sex ‘Marriage’ Group
By Peter J. Smith
MOSCOW, July 27, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Russian government has denied the homosexual movement a permit to register as an official lobby, because its purpose would be to overturn the country’s definition of marriage, reports Interfax.
The Russian Justice Ministry’s Chief Administration refused the request of Nikolay Alexeyev, a leading homosexualist agitator, because his organization’s founding documents state an intent to overturn Russia’s acting statutes that define marriage as the union of a man and a woman.
The Moscow Gagarinsky Court upheld the Chief Administration’s refusal on July 20.
An Orthodox Christian human rights group backed the decision of the Chief Administration to deny the homosexual movement a lobbying permit.
Roman Silantyev of the Human Rights Center of the World Russian People’s Council (WRPC) told Interfax that his group applauded the outcome, as they have been very concerned over “ongoing attempts to destroy the very notion of traditional family.”
“Western experience shows that gays and lesbians not only seek equal rights with advocates of traditional lifestyle, but try to impose their ideas on them and ban any critics of their convictions,” he noted.
Silantyev called it “quite revealing” that the court approved the decision at the same time controversy arose in the U.S. over Jennifer Keeton, a counseling student of Georgia’s Augusta University, who was instructed to undergo “diversity sensitivity training” and not express her Christian beliefs on marriage, or else lose her chance to earn a degree.
Silantyev told Interfax that the position taken by Russian authorities prevents Keeton-like scenarios from occurring in Russia “when sexual perverts discriminate [against] believers.”
The decision also has happened around the same time that Russian officials at the education ministry ruled that only heterosexual married couples would be eligible to adopt orphaned Russian children.
Alexeyev will likely appeal the decision by the Gagarinsky Court to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Alexeyev is the founder of Gay Russia and organizer of Moscow Gay Pride – which has been refused permits by Moscow’s Mayor Yury Luzhkov on the grounds that they offend Russia’s “morally healthy society” and are “satanic.”
The Moscow government has sought to combat “gay pride” parades by arresting and fining homosexualists who march in violation of the law. The parades are generally characterized worldwide by open displays of nudity, obscene gestures and costumes, and even public sex acts between participants.
The extremely explicit nature of these images often bar them from entering the public imagination through media distribution. However, one television station in Spain that did broadcast these images to the public was recently fined by Spain’s Socialist government, claiming they were inciting “hate.”
Alexeyev is also considering filing a suit against Luzhov with the ECHR.
The Moscow homosexualist leader is also backing an ECHR suit brought by a lesbian couple denied a marriage license in the capital earlier in July. However, given Russia’s track record of brushing off ECHR decisions, it appears unlikely that the Strasbourg court would be successful in forcing a revolution in Russia’s marriage laws.
See related coverage by LifeSiteNews.com:
Russia Puts the Kibosh on U.S. Gay and Single Parent Adoptions
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/jul/10072602.html
Moscow Refuses Permit to “Gay Pride” Parade Organizers
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/may/10052513.html
Moscow Mayor Calls “Gay Pride” Parade “Satanic”
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/jan/10012702.html
Russian Homosexual Activists Complain of Pride Ban to European Court of Human Rights
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/feb/08022006.html
Russian Jewish Leaders Join Orthodox in Supporting Moscow Mayor’s Ban on Gay Pride
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/mar/06032705.html