BY NATASHA BARSOTTI — Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports that Russian State Duma deputies voted 388 to one in favour of an anti-gay gag law that bans "propaganda of homosexuality" among minors in the first of three readings, as Moscow police detained about 20 opponents of the measure who were staging yet another kissing protest.

According to the report, the bill would levy fines for violations of up to 5,000 rubles ($165) for individuals and up to 50,000 rubles for officials, while businesses or schools could face up to 500,000 rubles ($16,500) if they broke the law.

Activists are concerned that the lack of a clear definition of what constitutes propaganda could result in gays "being fined for demonstrating or even holding hands in public." Journalist and gay rights activist Elena Kostyuchenko recently told Euro News that gay propaganda has not been defined, because "there is no gay propaganda."

The proposed federal bill, introduced by Novosibirsk regional deputies, mirrors a number of anti-gay gag laws that have been enacted in about 10 other cities or regions, including St Petersburg. Kaliningrad reportedly passed a similar measure Jan 24.

Bucking the national trend, the Duma of the Moscow Region rejected a similar measure meant to make "non-traditional sexual orientation propaganda to minors" illegal.

"One year of application of such laws in the regions have shown that, in practice, they are used to persecute dissidents, not to protect the children," Russian LGBT Network chairman Igor Kochetkov said in December. "Under the pretext of protecting the family, the authors of the bill actually destroy it, identifying a family as 'biological union of a man and a woman.' In reality this 'farm' approach to people shows how some deputies look to us, their constituents." 

Russia's ruling United Russia Party is spearheading the passage of the bill in the State Duma, even though Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev recently said he wasn't aware of his party's plans regarding the bill, saying legislation like that wasn’t needed. "Probably this issue does not concern too many people in the country, and it’s not discussed at all levels," Gay Star News quotes him as saying.

"In the majority of polls, Russians are absolutely supporting these bills," Alexeyev told Xtra in May. He says the last federal poll showed, however, that only eight percent of those surveyed said they ever saw propaganda of homosexuality. "People want to ban something they never saw. It's ridiculous."

The federal bill's backers say they want to protect Russia from what they believe are the "tolerant attitudes in other countries," AFP notes, quoting one United Russia deputy, Dmitry Sablin, as saying, "Just look at what is happening in Spain. Just look at what is happening in France! Of course we need this law."

United Russia is said to have enough votes in the lower house to pass any legislation without the support of other parties, AFP says.

BY NATASHA BARSOTTI — The Huffington Post reports that an 11-year-old transgender girl was proud of Barack Obama's inclusion of the gay community in his Jan 21 inauguration speech but wondered why he didn't specifically address the transgender community. The girl has written a letter in response.

The Post quotes her mother, Sage, as saying that Sadie, now in fifth grade, wondered why the transgender community wasn't included.

"The world would be a better place if everyone had the right to be themselves, including people who have a creative gender identity and expression," Sadie writes in her letter, entitled "Sadie's Dream for the World."

"Transgender kids like me are not allowed to go to most schools because the teachers think we are different from everyone else," she continues. "The schools get afraid of how they will talk with the other kids' parents, and transgender kids are kept secret or told not to come there anymore. Kids are told not to be friends with transgender kids, which makes us very lonely and sad."

Sadie says it would be "a better world if everyone knew that transgender people have the same hopes and dreams as everyone else."

The full text of Sadie's letter is published on TransGriot.

The Post notes that Sadie, who "socially transitioned from male to female in kindergarten," listens to Lady Gaga, Pink and Justin Bieber and wants to work for Greenpeace.

Sadie's mother told The Huffington Post that while her daughter has faced discrimination, "she isn't shy or ashamed of who she is."

"When she chats with people, she introduces herself as, 'Hi, I'm Sadie, my favorite color is pink, I'm vegan, and I'm transgender. Who are you?'" her mother said in the report.

Landing image: Huffington Post (photo from Sadie's family)

BY NATASHA BARSOTTI — As debate over a Russian bill to ban "propaganda of homosexuality" was delayed indefinitely, Orthodox activists attacked a "gay kissing day" demonstration against the measure outside the State Duma in Moscow Jan 22, The Moscow Times reports.

The delay marks the second time discussion of the bill has been put off.

According to the report, about 30 queer activists gathered on Georgiyevsky Pereulok for the protest, during which kissing same-sex couples posed for photos. But Orthodox activists showed up and began throwing eggs and ketchup at the demonstrators when they started to kiss. The Times notes that a number of reporters were also attacked.

Several Duma lawmakers looked on as the two sides clashed. Orthodox activists reportedly continued to attack gay-rights protesters who were walking away from the Duma, with two of the demonstrators allegedly assaulted inside a metro station. 

The proposed federal bill, introduced by Novosibirsk regional deputies, mirrors a number of anti-gay gag laws that have been enacted in about nine other cities or regions, including St Petersburg. Bucking the national trend, the Duma of the Moscow Region rejected a similar measure meant to make "non-traditional sexual orientation propaganda to minors" illegal.

Apart from the Moscow protest, demonstrations against the bill were held in other cities, including St Petersburg, Voronezh, Arkhangelsk, Tomsk, Syktyvkar and Samara, Gay Star News reports.

Watch a Euro News video report of the attack on demonstrators.

Journalist and gay rights activist Elena Kostyuchenko told Euro News that gay propaganda has not been defined, because "there is no gay propaganda."

Consideration of the federal bill was due to take place on Dec 19 but was postponed until this month. It has now been sent back to the preparatory stage.

A Russia Today report quotes the leader of the leftist Fair Russia faction, Sergey Mironov, as saying he was confused by the delay. “We are talking about the ban on propaganda. Do you remember how [the head of the parliamentary committee for family policy] Yelena Mizulina said that she had a feeling that someone was deliberately opposing all bills concerning this subject? Now we postponed it again, and it raises questions."

Russia Today cites a poll conducted last spring that found that 86 percent of Russians are in favour of a gay propaganda ban even as only six percent said they had encountered gay propaganda in their lives.

BY NATASHA BARSOTTI — International Gay and Lesbian Association–Europe (ILGA)reports that Portugual has revised its criminal code to include gender identity as a protected category, a move that was proposed by the Socialist party and unanimously approved by parliament.

"Alongside 'sexual orientation,' the term 'gender identity' has now been added to the articles relating to aggravated homicide and assault, setting up the special perversity or reprehensibility of these acts (and consequently strengthening the penalties) in case their motivation is based on the perceived sexual orientation or gender identity of the victim," ILGA notes in a statement about the change.

"We hope that the recognition of the particular vulnerability of trans people extends to the remaining legal system, also with the broad support of various political forces," the group says.

The criminal code revision follows the 2011 ratification of a law that eases the process of changing one's gender and name. "After several years of campaigning political parties and Portuguese society, we are very happy about this victory," ILGA said at the time. "The courts and their unacceptable criteria have been eliminated from the process and we have finally achieved legal certainty about gender recognition, which is a crucial first step towards the social inclusion of transsexual persons and towards the fight against discrimination based on gender identity."

Landing image: Lonely Planet

BY NATASHA BARSOTTI — "Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law," American President Barack Obama said Jan 21 at his second inauguration, which also featured the first openly gay and Latino inaugural poet and a final prayer that was inclusive of gays.

Using the storied Declaration of Independence, which speaks to the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, as the launch pad for his speech, Obama spoke of continuing the "never-ending journey to bridge the meaning of those words with the realities of our time."

"For history tells us that while these truths may be self-evident, they've never been self-executing," he said, adding that securing freedom is people's responsibility.

In his closing prayer, Reverend Luis Leon, who was born in Guantanamo and came to the US as a refugee, said, "whether brown, black or white, male or female, first-generation immigrant American or daughter of the American revolution, gay or straight, rich or poor; we pray for your blessing because without it we will only see scarcity in the midst of abundance."

Leon, whose parish is reportedly welcoming to openly gay people, replaced another pastor, Louie Giglio, who bowed out, or was forced to bow out, of giving the final blessing after a gathering storm of protest over an anti-gay sermon he gave in the 1990s.

In "One Today," his poem for the occasion, Richard Blanco presented an oral canvas of Americans' large and small life moments lived out on a diverse physical and cultural landscape that also included personal memories of family love and challenges.