Russian President Vladimir Putin is not a homophobe because he loves Sir Elton John and has friends that are gay, he claimed during a pre-Sochi charm offensive with Andrew Marr over the weekend.
But is he enough of a fan to accept Sir Elton’s offer to introduce him to members of the gay community in the country to show him the true impact his “deeply divisive” gay propaganda laws have had on their lives?
In an open statement, the musician described what he learned from gay and lesbian Russians during a visit to Moscow in December, who had been attacked or threatened as a result of the controversial legislation.
“What I heard reinforced all the media stories that have been circling since the propaganda Bill became federal law: that vicious homophobia has been legitimised by this legislation and given extremists the cover to abuse people’s basic human rights,” he said
“The people I met in Moscow — gay men and lesbians in their 20s, 30s and 40s — told me stories about receiving threats from vigilante groups who would ‘cure’ them of homosexuality by dousing them with urine or beating them up, Independent informs.
