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Russian toy store chain accused of ‘promoting homosexuality’

Russian toy store chain accused of ‘promoting homosexuality’

MOSCOW — A Russian toy store chain is under investigation for selling a game that allegedly “promotes homosexuality,” prosecutors said Friday.

FantyThe right wing Parent’s Committee of Stavropol filed a complaint with Russian police after purchasing the game at a Katyusha toy store chain outlet.

According to the Parent’s Committee, the game — named Fanty — encourages “non-traditional sexual relations” by “instructing players to act out the seduction of members of the same-sex like in an erotic film.”

Earlier this year Russia, passed a federal law banning the promotion of “non traditional sexual relationships” to minors.

Hefty fines can be imposed on those who provide information about the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community to minors or hold gay pride rallies.

The Kermlin-controlled RIA Novosti news agency reported that the Katyusha toy store chain, where “the game was labeled for children 12 and older, will be informed of the results of the investigation after 30 days, according to the local prosecutor’s office.”

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Elena Selyukova, a spokesperson for the Katyusha toy store chain, said the game has now been removed from all stores.

Moscow LGBT rights campaigner, Nikolai Baev, told LGBTQ Nation that the “Parent’s Committee is an ultra conservative umbrella organization which has branches throughout Russia.”

“They are very closely connected with Russian orthodox church and clerical nationalist groups and act as a watch dog — demanding to ban performances, plays, movies which seem them to be ‘pro gay,’ ‘anti Russian,’ ‘dangerous for children’ and so on,” he said.

“Putin’s Russia is a land of absurdity,” said Baev.

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