Gays who decide to move abroad will have hard time – State Duma

(Interfax – November 6, 2013) The State Duma has criticized the statement made by the Dutch foreign minister on the readiness of the Netherlands to provide asylum to Russian homosexuals.

“Such statements are bad propaganda against the Russian Federation. I don’t see anything else in that,” Yelena Afanasyeva, deputy chairman of the State Duma committee on labor, social policy and veterans’ affairs, who is one of the authors of the Dima Yakovlev law, told Interfax on Wednesday, commenting on the statement made by Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans who said the Netherlands could give asylum to Russian citizens who are persecuted under the law on gay propaganda.

“It would be wrong to speak about one’s sexual orientation at every corner, and the statement made by the Dutch foreign minister encourages people top speak openly about that,” the parliamentarian said.

“Why? I am not interested in my neighbors’ private life to this extent. They are adults and they do what they want. The main thing is that they are decent,” she said.

People who keep talking about this engage in personal PR, Afanasyeva said. “They want to work with Europe and they badmouth our country. It’s wrong and unfair,” she said.

The parliamentarian also cautioned people who want to move abroad, saying they may be disappointed.

“Judging by my talks with emigrants, they want to return home, euphoria passes. Many people who leave have the wrong idea that they will not work in their new country and will live on welfare, but sooner or later their benefits are reduced or stop,” Afanasyeva said.