Victory for Pride Parades in Russia

The nation's Supreme Court upholds 'gay propaganda' laws but says they do not prohibit LGBT pride parades or other public events.

Trudy Ring

Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.

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Trudy Ring

October 05 2012 11:23 AM EST

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Russia's Supreme Court has ruled that gay pride parades and LGBT rights demonstrations do not violate controversial "gay propaganda" laws.

The court made the ruling in August, but it was not made public until this week, Russian news agency RIA Novosti reports. The case involved an antigay law passed by the Arkhangelsk Region's legislature last year, but it apparently will apply to similar laws passed by the city of St. Petersburg and others. Several cities have declined to allow pride parades or other pro-gay demonstrations.

The laws prohibit "promotion of homosexuality" to minors, and the court upheld them but said they cover only the "direct promotion of homosexual relations," not pride parades or public discussion of gay issues, RIA Novosti reports. "Informing minors about homosexual relations is also allowed as long as the information remains neutral in tone," the news agency notes.