MOSCOW – President Vladimir Putin mocked the United States embassy in Moscow on Friday for flying a rainbow flag to celebrate LGBTQ rights, suggesting it reflects the sexual orientation of its staff.
His comments followed a nationwide vote on constitutional reforms that included an amendment that enshrines the definition of marriage specifically as a union between a man and a woman.
Putin said the movement by the United States embassy to raise the LGBTQ pride flag “revealed something about the people who work there.”
“However, it is not a big deal. We have talked about this many times, and our position is clear,” said Putin, who has tried to distance Russia from Western liberal values and has aligned himself with the Russian Orthodox Church.
“Yes, we passed a law that prohibits propaganda of homosexuality among minors. So what? Let people grow up, become adults, and then decide their own destinies.”
Legislation has been used to stop gay pride marches and detain gay rights activists.
Putin said during the campaign to change the constitution that he would not let the traditional notion of mother and father be subverted by what he called “father number 1” and “father number 2”.
On Friday, the director of the Russian Women’s Union, Ekaterina Lakhova, told Putin that she feared that an ice cream with the brand “Rainbow”, as well as other multicolored advertising, could constitute propaganda of non-traditional values and have a harmful effect. . effect on children, RIA news agency reported.
“Even indirectly, those things get our kids used to that … flag, the one that hung over the embassy,” Lakhova said.
“It would be great to have a commission to ensure that the values that we uphold in our constitution are respected,” he said.
Other countries have also waved rainbow flags outside their embassies in Moscow, including Britain.
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