14 Jun 2017
Individuals who are LGBT do not face any restriction of liberty in Russia, President Vladimir Putin has said in an interview with Hollywood director Oliver Stone.
Stone conducted a dozen interviews with Putin between 2015 and February 2017 for his four-part documentary on topics ranging from Russian-US relations, Syria, Ukraine to domestic policy, gay rights and Edward Snowden. The Putin Interviews premiered on the Showtime TV channel in the United States on June 12 and will continue through June 15. The documentary’s second series was released on Tuesday.
“We have no restrictions or harassment based on gender. Moreover, many people explicitly talk about their non-traditional sexual orientation. We maintain relations with them and many of them achieve outstanding results in their activity,” Putin noted. “They even get state awards and orders for their achievements.”
Defending Russia’s law banning propaganda of homosexuality among minors enacted in June 2013, Putin said: “The reasoning behind this law is to provide children with the opportunity to grow up without impacting their consciousness.” “When they grow up, they may take any decision on their future, including private and sexual ones.”
Read more at https://tass.com/politics/951188
