The approval in Russia of a new, much more restrictive law against LGBTQIA+ people (or, applying the official phrasing, “against propaganda of non-traditional relationships”) might lead to emulation in the very loyal Belarus.
According to Natalia Kochanova, Speaker of the Council of the Republic (the upper house of parliament in Minsk), it may be necessary for the country to introduce a similar legislation. The Speaker told the Belarusian news agency Belta:
“This bill was passed during my visit in Moscow, and I think that we probably should do the same. I think it’s the right thing to do; such behaviours cannot be promoted. We must to defend the values of the family, of the Orthodox Church, the traditions that we pass from generation to generation”.
© foto di belta.by
Although Belarus doesn’t have the same restrictions as Russia, the situation for LGBTQIA+ people in the country is not the best. According to Rainbow Europe, ILGA’s annual review on the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex and asexual people, the country is at the bottom of the list in Europe, with a score of 12% – higher than Russia’s 8% or the Turkey’s 4%, but still very far from Western standards. The situation is related to the de facto dictatorship that the country has been subjected to for several years.
A 2017 study by Pew Research showed that 84% of Belarus citizens did not consider homosexuality “something unacceptable”, while less than 16% of the population (a figure still higher than that in Russia and Ukraine) supported the introduction of same-sex marriage. Which is constitutionally banned since 1994.
Alexander Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin
In its annual review, ILGA reported that even before the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the restrictions on civil liberties that followed, there had been cases of people fleeing the country due to widespread homophobia in institutions and civil society.
Alessandro Garzi
translation by Alessia Florimo
©2023 Il Grande Colibrì
