On this day in 2013 Russian President Vladimir Putin signs Russia’s anti-gay propaganda law that purports to be for the “Purpose of Protecting Children from Information Advocating for a Denial of Traditional Family Values.”
The law stops information about LGBTIQA+ people being shared or displayed in any location where it might be seen or heard by people under the age of eighteen.
The law leads to a surge in gay hate crimes, and police arresting people with often dubious evidence of the law being breached.
In 2022 the law was extended to apply to the entire population regardless of age, and the following year Russia declared the international LGBT movement to be a terrorist organisation.
In 2017 German politicians voted in favour of marriage equality
German same-sex couples won the rights to marry and adopt children on this day in 2017.
The bill passed by 393 to 226, with four abstentions. In the days leading up to the vote Chancellor Angela Merkel surprised people by allowing a free vote on the issue.
Merkel had been a long standing opponent to marriage equality, and was seen to push the vote through in an attempt to avoid it being an election issue later in the year. Merkel’s party was successful at the polls and was able to establish a new coalition to keep them in power. She stood down before the 2021 election after four terms in government.
