Russia has begun a very enthusiastic crack-down on LGBT people, and it's using Christian religion and junk-science being peddled by Scott Lively as justification. It's very concerning. Unfortunately this is what happens when religious conservativism is allowed to run riot, and when that very important line between church and state is erased.
I think THAT is a valuable lesson for everyone else watching - and I hope it is a lesson they learn and take to heart, because freedom of conscience and all other freedoms are not cheap and easy to win or to keep - they come at a very very dear cost, and they are kept through hard work, dedication and sacrifice.
Below are a few images from the Buzz Feed site showing "36 photos from Russia that everyone needs to see"... images showing gay people being specifically targeted for assault and arrest by Russian riot police, with large numbers of them being arrested and detained while aggressive neo-Nazi skinhead thugs who stage violent counter-marches and protests are from all impressions gained from reports, unhindered by the police.
One of many images showing not the aggressive anti-gay protesters being arrested, but instead one of the gay rights marchers from what was a peaceful protest broken up by police.
This is hatred, pure and simple. It is senseless violence and it is being assisted by the machinery of state and it is being promoted and praised by the machinery of religion. People like Scott Lively use violent acts like this as a proud example of how a "Christian state" should deal with the "perversion of homosexuality". I think, looking at these images, it is more obvious where the true perversion lies. These horrible acts of hatred and violence and oppression are not defensible under any civilized law or constitution or government or in any sane and civilized society and violate, most profoundly, EVERY single tenet of human rights law in the modern age.
Will Russia's faltering government be pressured by the UN and other international political and economic bodies to change and rectify this? I hope so. Because the tide of hate surges strongly in that country. How long will innocent lives be destroyed in the name of insane and heartless religious hypocrisy?
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