Ukraine’s Gag Rule } Gays Don’t Gag Honey!
We never liked the sound of the Ukraine's proposed "Gay Gag Rule."
First of all, gays don't gag, honey. We shouldn't have to explain further. Second, banning citizens from speaking favorably of their LGBT neighbors, family and friends was just bullshit.
Thank Gaga the proposal was shelved.
More details after the jump!
A press release from All Out shares the good news:
In a last minute move, the Ukrainian parliament cancelled today's scheduled vote on legislation that would ban any Ukrainian citizen from speaking out favorably about gays or lesbians. Human rights defenders and many European officials condemned the proposed law for its potentially chilling effect on freedom of speech and expression for millions of Ukrainians - gay and straight. The move to shelve the bill today is seen as a critical victory for its opponents, leaving only a short window in September for it to be reconsidered before the dissolution of the sitting Parliament.
"More than 120,000 All Out members spoke out against this horrendous legislation and pushed it to the top of Europe’s diplomatic agenda. The message of our growing global movement is simple - everyone should be able to live openly and love who they choose. That call has been echoed by the European diplomatic community who played a critical role in blocking the progress of the gay gag law,” said Andre Banks, co-founder and executive director of AllOut.org. “Above all, this is a victory for our partners in Ukraine. Together we are sending a strong message to the other governments of Eastern Europe. Support for anti-gay laws embolden extremists at the expense of lucrative European ambitions."
Similar to St. Petersburg "anti-propaganda" law, the shelved proposal would've made it a crime to "spread homosexuality" by "holding meetings, parades, actions, demonstrations and mass events aiming at intentional distribution of any positive information about homosexuality." If the law had passed, violators would've been subject to prison time.
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