Russian gay activists convicted of promoting homosexuality near schools

Two Russian gay activists Monday were convicted of promoting homosexuality in Ryazan, southeast of Moscow, web-site 365gay.com reports.

The Ryazan region is the only area in Russia with a law barring discussion of homosexuality with minors. The law is used to bar schools from any discussion of gay issues.

Nikolai Baev and Irina Fet, both associated with Moscow Pride, were charged with “propaganda of homosexuality to minors” for carrying a banner advocating gay rights close to a school and a library.

The banner declared “Homosexuality is normal” and “I am proud of my homosexuality.”

Baev and Fet said they wanted to show that the law is unconstitutional.

The court fined the pair 1,500 rubles (about $50.00) each.

“We will now file a complaint with the Russian Constitutional Court,” Russian gay rights leader Nikolai Alekseev, who attended the protest but was not charged, told the Interfax news agency.

Last month, Alekseev and other gay leaders called on contestants in the Eurovision Song Contest to speak out from the stage for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights in Russia.  The contest, which will be broadcast throughout Europe, is being held this year in Moscow.

The finals will be broadcast May 16, the day Moscow Pride will hold its pride festival. The city has already barred the group from having a gay pride parade.

Laws against homosexuality were repealed at the end of the Communist era, but Moscow city officials have refused to allow gays to hold a pride march for years.

Moscow Pride has seven cases already pending before the European Court of Human Rights.

The latest was filed against President Dmitry Medvedev. The others involve Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov.