by Long Island Attorney Paul A. Lauto, Esq.
Police broke up a gay rights rally and arrested three of the organizers in St. Petersburg, Russia, based on a new law prohibiting the spreading of "homosexual propaganda." Although homosexuality was decriminalized after the fall of the Soviet Union, prejudice against gay people remains at a high level in Russia and the surrounding countries.
The law passed in St. Petersburg in February, provides a penal provision for a fine of up to $15,000 for spreading "homosexual propaganda."
