Russia President Vladimir Putin Calls Gender Fluidity 'Monstrous'
Russian President Vladimir Putin has once again affirmed his stance against discussing gender and LGBTQ+ sexuality in new quotes reported from the annual Valdai Discussion Club meeting in Sochi, Russia.
In comments at the event, Putin — who has refused to condemn violence and homophobic policies against LGBTQ people in Russia — compared teaching gender fluidity to "a crime a against humanity," reported the Independent.
The Russian leader also accused Western countries of "the aggressive deletion of whole pages of their own history" and "reverse discrimination against the majority in the interests of minorities," Independent reported.
Mr Putin added: "It's their right, but we are asking them to steer clear of our home. We have a different viewpoint."
Earlier this year, Putin banned same-sex marriage, and expressly said same-sex marriage "will not happen" as long as he is in the Kremlin. Defending his decision, Putin reportedly said no one in his country would be harmed by his decision.
During the meeting, the president also said transgender rights supporters were demanding an end to "basic things such as mother, father, family or gender differences."
Explaining Putin's strategy in an interview with the Washington Post, Matthew Sussex, a Russian expert at the Australian National University, said that the leader is attempting to show that he "stands for values that will not divide society and throw it into chaos."
"On the one hand it's a unifying message," said Sussex. "But on the other hand, it does hit... the transgender and gay communities that the Russian government has continued to target."