THE HYPOCRISY OF USA AND ITS ALLIES OVER ATTACK ON RUSSIA OVER HOMOSEXUAL LAWS

An opinion in The Washington Post on Friday highlighted the hypocrisy of attacking Russia through Russia's homosexual laws.

Eight U.S. states, and several cities and counties, have some version of what we call “no promo homo” provisions. Before the United States condemns the Russian statute’s infringement of free speech and academic freedom, it should recognize that our own republican forms of government have repeatedly given rise to analogous restrictions.

It is no coincidence that these examples focus on what must and must not be said to children. An explanatory note accompanying the 2013 Russian legislation makes clear that the statute seeks to protect children “from the factors that negatively affect their physical, intellectual, mental, spiritual, and moral development.” Proponents of the U.S. statutes have offered similar justification. And, like Russian President Vladimir Putin this month, the U.S. laws warn gay people and sympathizers to “leave kids alone, please.”

[source : Ian Ayres and William Eskridge, The U.S. hypocrisy over Russia’s anti-gay laws, Washington Post, http://wapo.st/1hZY5mM, 31st January 2014]