Russia

MOSCOW -- As news spread over the weekend of the horrific torture and murder of a young gay man in southern Russia, LGBTQ activists in the country are warning that such violence is escalating rapidly and with more frequency. [ Read more → ]

VOLGOGRAD, Russia -- Two men have been arrested for torturing a 23-year-old man to death in Russia in an apparent homophobic attack, investigators said Sunday. [ Read more → ]

NOVO-OGAREVO, Russia -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday warned that agreements with other countries on the matter of adoption of Russian children may be changed to ban such adoptions if those countries legalize same-sex marriage. [ Read more → ]

AMSTERDAM -- After getting an earful from Chancellor Angela Merkel on the importance of democratic issues, Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Amsterdam on Monday to face an eyeful of protests from gay rights activists. [ Read more → ]

MOSCOW — Russia's foreign minister on Tuesday rejected criticism from the Dutch government and the European Union about proposed legislation that would outlaw "homosexual propaganda." [ Read more → ]

The Obama administration said Friday it was pulling out of a civil society dialogue with Russia to protest the Kremlin's crackdown on dissent and new laws against nongovernmental organizations. It also harshly criticized Russia's parliament for advancing new legislation against "homosexual propaganda." [ Read more → ]

MOSCOW — Russian police detained 20 gay rights campaigners and militant Orthodox Christian activists Friday near the country's parliament as it overwhelmingly backed a bill that would ban "homosexual propaganda." [ Read more → ]

MOSCOW — Militant Orthodox activists have attacked members of Russia's embattled gay community protesting against a planned law banning "gay propaganda". [ Read more → ]

MOSCOW — Legislation being pushed by the Kremlin and the Russian Orthodox Church would make it illegal nationwide to provide minors with information that is defined as "propaganda of sodomy, lesbianism, bisexuality and transgenderism," and includes a ban on holding public events that promote gay rights. [ Read more → ]

A conservative Russian lawmaker is threatening legal action against American pop star Lady Gaga for allegedly promoting gay rights to minors during a concert in St. Petersburg, Russia on Sunday night. [ Read more → ]

MOSCOW -- The Russian State Parliament will hear the first reading of a federal level bill that is designed after a series of regional laws banning so-called "propaganda of homosexualism." [ Read more → ]

A Russian court has dismissed a lawsuit against pop superstar Madonna, rejecting claims that her actions during a concert in St. Petersburg in August violated a local law against promoting homosexual behavior. [ Read more → ]

MOSCOW -- Pop icon Madonna is being sued for more than $10 million by Russian activists who claimed they were offended by her support for gay rights during a recent concert in St. Petersburg, Russia. [ Read more → ]

The Moscow City Court on Friday again confirmed its 100-year ban on all LGBT pride events in the Russian capital, and rejected an appeal by Nikolai Alekseyev, the leader of a Russian gay rights community and the organizer of previous gay pride events. [ Read more → ]

LONDON -- The Russian embassy in London has issued a warning to parents who send their children to summer schools in the United Kingdom, saying alleging that their children may be placed in "inappropriate housing conditions," including with "families of homosexuals." [ Read more → ]

SARATOV, Russia -- A Russian Orthodox religious community in the southern Russia city of Saratov has issued an ultimatum to social media giant Facebook, demanding that the company stop “flirting with sodomites” and immediately remove all content "promoting homosexuality." [ Read more → ]

MOSCOW -- The Moscow City Court on Thursday upheld a district court’s decision to ban gay parades in Moscow for the next 100 years, dismissing an appeal by the LGBT advocacy group, "Moscow Pride/Gay Russia." [ Read more → ]

MOSCOW -- A Russian teen has been released from the Marshak drug rehabilitation facility after spending 12 days in the institution after being forcibly admitted by his traditionalist father, who was angered when he came out as openly gay earlier this month. [caption id="attachment_51887" align="alignleft"... [ Read more → ]

WASHINGTON -- Russia is openly distancing itself from language included in a joint statement released by the G8 Foreign Ministers Meeting Chairman Thursday after a meeting of the G8 Foreign Ministers in Washington. [ Read more → ]

Police in the Russian city of St. Petersburg arrested two gay rights activists this week, the first such arrests for violating a controversial new law that bans the "promotion of homosexuality" to minors. The two men, Alexei Kiselyov and Cyril Nepomnyashiy, were protesting Thursday in... [ Read more → ]