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No discrimination against LGBT at the Winter Olympics

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak: "No discrimination based on sexual orientation during the Olympic Games, before or after them. They are not allowed by law."

Photo ITAR-TASS/ Valeriy Sharifulin

Photo ITAR-TASS/ Valeriy Sharifulin

SOCHI, August 7 (Itar-Tass) - There will be no discrimination against sexual minorities before, during or after Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak said on Wednesday, August 7.

“There will be no discrimination based on sexual orientation during the Olympic Games, before or after them. They are not allowed by law,” he said.

Kozak also believes that calls to boycott the Olympics following the adoption of the Russian law which bans propaganda of homosexual relations among minors were “merely private opinions.”

He has received “official clarifications from law enforcement agencies and the Justice Ministry regarding the application of this law.”

“No one should have any concerns, people can live their own private lives and expresses advantages and attractiveness of their lifestyle among adults. The main point is to stay away from children,” Kozak said.

He noted that if such propaganda targets children, then “this is an administrative offence” that is punishable by law with a fine of around 4,000 rubles.

Mentioning calls for boycott, Kozak expressed hope that “this will never occur in the history of Olympic Games again.”

“Each adult should make up his mind about his sexual orientation. Our draft law, which has been supported by all parliamentary parties, is not directed against non-traditional sexual relations as a phenomenon but aims to protect children and teenagers from promotion of such relations,” Deputy Speaker Sergei Zheleznyak said earlier.

“We are trying to protect children who cannot objectively assess information being imposed on them because of their early age; however, such information can damage their minds and impart a distorted concept of relations between people,” he said.

The law submitted by Novosibirsk Region’s Legislative Assembly entails fines of 4,000-5,000 rubles for individuals, 40,000-50,000 for officials, and 400,000-500,000 rubles for legal entities.

The accompanying note clarifies that administrative penalties will be charged not for the homosexual preferences, but for advertising homosexuality among children.

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