Gay rights activists on Monday asked a court to strike down a controversial bill passed by St. Petersburg legislature and prohibiting “propaganda” of homosexuality and pedophilia among minors.
The bill allows for abuse because its basic concepts, including “propaganda,” “bisexualism” and “traditional and non-traditional marital relations,” have no legal definitions, LGBT group Vykhod said on its website.
Any mention of homosexuality can now be considered an administrative offense under the bill, the group said.
Moreover, the preference given to “traditional marital relations” violates the principle of equality before the law, Vykhod said.
St. Petersburg City Court did not comment on the comment or give a timeframe for its review as of Monday evening.
The bill, setting up fines for “gay propaganda,” came into force on Monday. It faced criticism from the LGBT community and rights activists both inside and outside Russia, but was also proposed to be made into a federal law by Siberian legislators.
