Russia considering ban on gay emojis
By Will Stroude
Apparently not content with curbing the sexual deviance promoted by HBO’s Game of Thrones and Facebook rainbow filters, Russian authorities have turned their attention to the latest scourge of the straights: gay emojis.
According to local media reports translated by Vocativ, Russian state media regulator Roskomnadzor has requested that the youth wing of the country’s ruling United Russia Party launch an investigation into the use of Apple’s new LGBT-inclusive emojis on social media, as they mat violate the country’s anti-gay ‘propaganda’ laws.
The Deputy Head of Roskomnadzor, Maxim Ksenzov Mikhael Marchenko, said in a statement that the new emojis – which were launched on Apple’s iOS 8 back in April and depict same-sex couples and parents – are part of “the spread on social media of untraditional sexual relations among minors”.
He added that their use among Russian youth on social media “denies family values” and “forms disrespect for parents and other family members.”
The whimsical characters could fall foul of legislation that Russian president Vladimir Putin signed into law in 2013, designed for “the protection of children from information that’s harmful to their health and development.”
Troubling statistics published earlier this month revealed that the government’s crackdown on the country’s LGBT community has coincided with a sharp rise in homophobia among the Russian public.
A representative of of United Russia’s ‘Young Guard’ youth wing said the group hadn’t yet officially received the watchdog’s request, but would look into the reports. *nail painting emoji*
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