Pew Research surveyed 996 Russians in 2013. The study finds 72% of people report that homosexuality is morally “unacceptable.” This includes 65% of university educated people. More people think being gay is morally unacceptable relative to having an affair and gambling. It’s little wonder given the “propaganda” laws, which have outlawed communication of non-heterosexual lifestyles. The ban continues to be used to suppress discussion of any sexual topics, including sex education. In this climate of fear, few people are likely to publicly support Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer (LGBTQ) identities in any way, including by proclaiming that homosexuality is “acceptable.”
Below is an excellent panel discussion by the LSE, which included an LGBTQ activist in Russia, who discussed how the propaganda law was being used to de facto criminalise homosexuality. Other speakers discussed how the propaganda laws in Russia are an international human rights issue. By listening to the activist speak, we are being complicit in a crime: her potential imprisonment for speaking out against the law.
The Other Sociologist 