On Tuesday, July 11, 2013, the State Duma in Russia unanimously passed a bill that bans the "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations." Russia decriminalized homosexuality in 1993 and has not seen persecution of the LGBT community on this scale since Stalin. Physical violence against LGBT people was not only allowed, but encouraged by one Duma official who said "So are you guys ramping up the pressure on these faggots? Beat them up well! Cut their balls off!" (http://www.vocativ.com/06-2013/cut-their-balls-off-russian-official-supp...)
The international community cannot stand by and overlook this travesty to human rights violations. We must stand up, speak out, and discourage these extreme forms, and all forms, of discrimination of all people.



