Russia Outlaws Gay Porn & Public Expression While Indonesia Bans Gay Sex

In today's episode of "Vladimir Putin is Absolute Garbage", the Duma (Russia's Parliament) voted unanimously 397 to 0 to explicitly criminalize all Queer expressions, which Vladimir Putin then quickly signed into law.

As reported in the New York Times on December 6th, Russia not only reclassifies LGBTQ existences as "propaganda", but now it bans any distribution of said propaganda in all media. For our industry, that means no more queer porn in Russia.

Russia's horrific treatment of its Queer citizens is nothing new. In 2013, Russia outlawed any “propaganda nontraditional sexual relations” towards minors, but the new law takes things to another level in that it now bans it for adults, as well. This means that no advertising, social media, or movies can in any way depict LGBTQ relationships.

It should be noted that all pornography is technically illegal in Russia, but it is produced there regardless with the quiet approval of a government that looks the other way in favor of the revenue it brings in. The move by Putin and his government goes out of its way to specifically ban Gay, Lesbian, and Trans porn.

Meanwhile, in Indonesia, the country's parliament had a unanimous vote of their own when they passed sweeping new changes to their penal code. Specifically, they banned all sex outside of marriage and all cohabitation before marriage. Since gay marriage is illegal in the world's largest Muslim-majority nation, that means any form of gay sex is now illegal. No more romantic trips to Bali, gays! The new penal code also prohibits apostasy, speaking negatively about the president, or expressing any views whatsoever that go against the country's general ideology.

Usman Hamid, the Executive Director for Amnesty International Indonesia, said, “What we’re witnessing is a huge setback to Indonesia’s hard-won progress in protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms after the 1998 revolution. This criminal code should have never been passed in the first place.” And why was the penal code changed? According to Bambang Wuryanto, one of the chief architects of the new penal code and the man who led the parliamentary commission in charge of it, said, “The old code belongs to Dutch heritage … and is no longer relevant.”

Also asinine is the fact that the new laws will also apply to all tourists. So if you're a couple who is dating but not married, and you wanted to take a lil vacay to Bali, you can be imprisoned if you have stay in a hotel together. WHAT?! It always astonishes me that we're a species that is capable of so much greatness, and yet in almost-2023 we have countries passing draconian laws like these two, or here at home where states are banning healthcare for women. Ugh. Be better, humans.

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