Russian parliament refuses to make gay propaganda criminal offence

The lower house of the Russian parliament has rejected in the first reading a bill that introduced criminal responsibility for propaganda of homosexuality, Russian news agency Interfax reported on Friday.

According to the agency, the parliamentarians decided that gay propaganda was not dangerous for society and thus could not be punished under the criminal code.

Initially, the bill was submitted by a deputy of the pro-Kremlin party A Just Russia, Aleksander Chuev. It suggested depriving those who “openly demonstrated a homosexual way of life and a homosexual orientation” of the right to hold posts in educational establishments or in the army for a term from two to five years.

Only 90 deputies voted in favor of the bill with the required minimum of 226 votes.