Florida Agenda

ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA – Last week, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak backed a controversial regional bill proposed by the ruling United Russia party to issue fines for “propaganda of homosexuality.”

In St. Petersburg, Kozak said he supported the bid to introduce fines for “disgusting activity,” according to the Vancouver Sun. Kozak went even further, suggesting the bill should be considered for inclusion in national legislation.

The bill proposed by United Russia would introduce fines of up to 50,000 rubles ($1,625) for “public acts aimed at promoting homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality and transgender identity to minors.”

CHICAGO, IL – According to a report by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, the vast majority of countries around the world have become more accepting of homosexuality, with the exception of Russia and other former socialist countries. The report examined 30 countries regarding their attitudes towards homosexuality and is based on five surveys conducted in different countries between 1988 and 2008. The study showed that the approval of homosexuality increased in 27 countries and decreased in only four: Cypress, Czech Republic, Latvia and Russia. The study also rated the top five most tolerant countries regarding homosexuality as the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, and Belgium.