Censorship Of LGBTQ Issues

Censorship of LGBTQ issues is practised by some countries around the world. It may take a variety of forms, including anti-LGBTQ curriculum laws in some states of the United States, the Russian gay propaganda law prohibiting the "promotion of non-traditional sexual relationships", the Hungarian anti-LGBT law banning "content portraying or promoting sex reassignment or homosexuality", and laws in some Islamic states such as Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, and Iran prohibiting advocacy that offends Islamic morality.

Anti-"LGBTQ propaganda" laws

The table below lists, in chronological order, the United Nations member states that have passed laws explicitly prohibiting "propaganda of homosexuality and non-heterosexual relationships".

Bulgaria

On 7 August 2024, Bulgaria's parliament approved an amendment to the education law that prohibits the "propaganda, promotion, or incitement in any way, directly or indirectly, in the education system of ideas and views related to non-traditional sexual orientation and/or gender identity other than the biological one". The amendment was introduced by Revival party. It defines "non-traditional sexual orientation" as "contrary to Bulgaria's legal concept of emotional, romantic, sexual or sensual attraction between persons of opposite sexes", alluding to Bulgaria's constitution which defines marriage as a heterosexual union. The amendment was supported by most of the MPs from GERB party, as well as all MPs from the Bulgarian Socialist Party and There is Such a People party. The Movement for Rights and Freedoms was split over the vote. On 15 August, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has signed the bill into the law.

Georgia

On 4 June 2024, Speaker of the Georgian Parliament and one of the leaders of the ruling Georgian Dream party Shalva Papuashvili said that the party initiated a package of legislation called, "On Family Values and Protection of Minors", consisting of one main law and 18 related draft laws that amend the Civil Code, the Labor Code, the legislation on education, and other codes. Proposed changes in the package included outlawing the registration of any union other than between a man and a woman, adoption of a minor to people who do not identify "as their gender" or are not heterosexual, all surgical operations or medical interventions for gender reassignment, and putting any gender "different from his own" on any state or identity documents. The changes also included restrictions on media and publishing, outlawing the radio or television broadcasting of information, programs, advertising, or "propaganda" aimed at "promoting a person's belonging to a gender different from his or her gender, same-sex relationship or incest", including sexual acts with "members of the same sex or a scene of incest", outlawing public gatherings or demonstrations aimed at promoting gender identity, non-heterosexual relationships, or incest, and voiding any public or private institution labor obligations "aimed at neglecting biological sex". The package would also designate 17 May as a holiday for the "sanctity of the family and respect for parents". On 27 June 2024, the Parliament of Georgia passed the proposed bill in the first reading.

On 4 September 2024, the Parliament of Georgia voted 81-0 for the proposed bill in the second reading. The Legal Affairs Committee of the Parliament of Georgia made several changes to the legislative package, including a new article defining the "popularisation of queer relationships or of gender transitioning" and a prohibition on adopting to any "person who does not assign themself to any biological sex".

The bill was supported by the Georgian Dream and People's Power parties, which make up parliamentary majority. The opposition For Georgia party said that although it did not attend the vote, it still opposes the "propaganda directed at children, especially LGBT propaganda". The Girchi party expressed its opposition to the bill. Other opposition parties did not vote or take part in the parliamentary discussions.

Hungary

In June 2021, the government of Hungary introduced a bill prohibiting the showing of "any content portraying or promoting sex reassignment or homosexuality" to minors, similar to the Russian gay propaganda law. On 15 June, the National Assembly approved the law by a vote of 157–1. The President of Hungary signed the bill into law on 23 June.

Russia

In Russia, the Law for the Purpose of Protecting Children from Information Advocating for a Denial of Traditional Family Values was unanimously approved by the State Duma on 11 June 2013 (with just one MP abstaining—Ilya Ponomarev), and was signed into law by President Vladimir Putin on 30 June 2013.

The Russian government's stated purpose for the law is to prevent children from being exposed to homosexuality—content presenting homosexuality as being a norm in society—under the argument that it contradicts traditional family values. The statute amended the country's child protection law and the Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Offenses, to make the distribution of "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relationships" among minors, an offence punishable by fines. This definition includes materials that "raises interest in" such relationships; cause minors to "form non-traditional sexual predispositions"; or "resentdistorted ideas about the equal social value of traditional and non-traditional sexual relationships." Businesses and organisations can also be forced to temporarily cease operations if convicted under the law, and foreigners may be arrested and detained for up to 15 days then deported, or fined up to 5,000 rubles and deported.

The Kremlin's backing of the law appealed to the Russian nationalist far-right, and also gained broad support among the Russian public and the Russian Orthodox Church, with 70% of Russians officially being Russian-Orthodox. The law was condemned by the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe (of which Russia is a member), by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child and by human rights groups, such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. The statute was criticised for its broad and ambiguous wording (including the broadly worded "raises interest in" and "among minors"), which critics described as an effective ban on publicly promoting the rights and culture of the LGBT community. The law was also condemned for leading to an increase in, and justification of, homophobic violence, while the implications of the law in relation to the then-upcoming 2014 Winter Olympics being hosted by Sochi were also cause for concern, as the Olympic Charter contains language explicitly barring various forms of discrimination.

Restrictions on LGBTQ expression

Afghanistan

On 21 November 2021, Afghanistan's Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice promulgated an order prohibiting TV channels from broadcasting media that are against the Taliban's interpretation of Sharia and Afghan culture.

Algeria

Article 333 bis of the Penal Code, as amended on 13 February 1982 by Law n° 82–04, criminalizes the distribution of anything against "decency" with up to 2 years in prison and a fine up to 2,000 dinars. Article 333, also amended in 1982, criminalizes indecent exposure of any "act against the order of nature with an individual of the same sex" with up to 3 years in prison and a fine up to 10,000 dinars.

Brazil (sub-national)

Since 2014, at least 217 bills have been introduced at the federal, state, and municipal levels in Brazil to ban teaching "gender ideology", "information on sexual orientation", "information on sexual diversity", "orienting the sexuality of students" and "ideological indoctrination" in Brazilian schools. At least 47 of these bills were passed into law, but many of them were struck down by the courts. As of 2022, 21 laws, including 1 on state level and 20 on municipal level, remain in force.

China

On 31 December 2015, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) of the People's Republic of China announced a new rule that banned any television show and film depicting "unnormal sexual relationships", including homosexuality. As a result of this new rule, many popular web television series at the time like ''Addicted'' and ''Go Princess Go'' were immediately pulled from broadcasting. Online streaming services including LeTV and Tencent Video followed the new rule by deleting or censoring web series with LGBT characters.

In 2017, an LGBT conference was scheduled to be held in Xi'an. Western reports, using the organisers blog as their source, claimed the police had detained the organisers and threatened them.

In March 2018, Oscar-winning drama ''Call Me By Your Name'' has been pulled from the Beijing International Film Festival's lineup. It was widely speculated that the organizer of this festival was under political pressure to not show the film.

On 14 April 2018, Sina Weibo, the equivalent of Twitter in China, announced a crackdown on LGBT content, as pursuant to the China Internet Security Law and other government regulations.

In May 2018, the European Broadcasting Union blocked Mango TV, one of China's most watched channels, from airing the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 after it edited out Irish singer Ryan O'Shaughnessy's performance, which depicted two male dancers, and blacked out rainbow flags during Switzerland's performance.

Days before the International Day Against Homophobia in 2018, two women wearing rainbow badges were attacked and beaten by security guards in Beijing. The security company dismissed the three guards involved shortly thereafter.China's LGBT community finds trouble, hope at end of rainbow
AFP, 2 June 2018,

Mr. Gay China, a beauty pageant, was held in 2016 without incident. In 2018, the event host passively cancelled their engagement by not responding to any communications. Mr Gay World 2019 announced the cancellation of the Hong Kong event after communication began to deteriorate in early August. No official censorship notice was issued but some articles blamed the Chinese Government for the cancellation. That same year, a woman who wrote a gay-themed novel was sentenced to 10 years and 6 months in prison for "breaking obscenity laws".

Indonesia

On 23 February 2016, the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) released the "Circular to All Broadcasting Companies on Effeminate Men", banning the portrayal of sexual and gender diversity in men by the broadcasting companies. In the same month, the KPI also banned TV and radio programs that "promoted homosexual lifestyle" claiming that they constituted a violation of the 2012 Broadcasting Program Standards.

Iran

Iran has extensive public morality law which is used against newspapers and websites with the content related to the sexual orientation. Article 6 of the 1986 Press Law bans press which "undermines Islam's bases and commandments", including the spread of "fornication and forbidden practices" and "publishing photographs, pictures, and material which violate public chastity". The violation of this provision is punished under the Article 698 of the Islamic Penal Code with imprisonment of between two months to two years and flogging of up to
74 lashes. Article 14 of the 2009 Law on Computer Crimes (Law No. 71063) punishes with imprisonment and fines the use of computer systems, telecommunications systems or data carriers to publish or distribute "immoral content", or storage of such material "with the intention of corrupting society". Article 640 of the Penal Code bans public display, production or storage of "any writing or design, gravure, painting, picture, newspapers, advertisements, signs, film, cinema movie" which corrupts "public prudency and morality".

Under these laws, operators of the website of Avizoon were arrested and charged with "pornography and publishing sexual ideas including homosexuality". The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, which enforces the press laws, bans any positive portrayals of homosexuality. Publishers are not allowed to obtain licences to publish such material since gay and lesbian acts are considered as corrupt and morally bankrupt.

In 2002, a book entitled ''Witness Play'' by Cyrus Shamisa was banned from shelves (despite being initially approved) because it said that certain notable Persian writers were homosexuals and bisexuals.

In 2004, the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art loaned a collection of artwork that formerly belonged to Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi that had been locked away since the Revolution in 1979 to the Tate Britain. The artwork included explicit homoerotic artwork by Francis Bacon and the government in Iran stated that upon its return, it would also be put on display in Iran.

In 2005, the Iranian Reformist paper ''Shargh'' was shut down by the government after it interviewed an Iranian author, living in Canada. While the interview never mentioned the sexual orientation of Saghi Ghahreman, it did quote her as stating that, "sexual boundaries must be flexible... The immoral is imposed by culture on the body". The conservative paper ''Kayhan'' attacked the interview and the paper, "Shargh has interviewed this homosexual while aware of her sick sexual identity, dissident views and porno-personality." To avoid being permanently shut down, the paper issued a public apology stating it was unaware of the author's "personal traits" and promised to "avoid such people and movements."

Iraq

LGBT issues could be censored in Iraq under extensive public morality law namely, paragraph 215, 220, 376, 401, 402, 403, 404 and 408 of the Iraqi Penal Code.

In August 2023, the Iraqi Communications and Media Commission issued the directive which banned media outlets from using the terms "homosexuality" and "gender". Instead, they must use the term "sexual deviance".

Jordan

According to a 2023 Human Rights Watch report, Jordan's cybercrime and morality laws have been used to persecute and intimidate LGBT people.

Kuwait

Article 21 of the Press and Publications Law (Law No. 3) (2006) bans publishing content which is deemed as insulting to public morals.

A Disney movie ''The Beauty and the Beast'' has been banned in Kuwait for containing "an exclusively gay moment".

Kyrgyzstan

On 17 March 2023, the government announced a proposal to amend the child protection law. Article 2-1 of the draft law expands the definition of information harmful to the health and development of children as follows: " nformationthat denounces family and traditional societal values, promotes non-traditional sexual relations and initiates disrespect towards parents or other family members". It also possesses a number of other amendments, such as prohibiting the promotion of information that encourage children to commit suicide, consume drugs, tobacco and alcohol, participate in gambling, prostitution and begging. The bill was passed by the Parliament on 22 June 2023 and signed into law by the President on 14 August 2023.

Lebanon

The Lebanese Penal Code contains many articles which are used against homosexuality, including Article 209, 521, 526, 531, 532, 533 and 534. Article 531 and 532 ban violating public morals by public actions, movements, speaking and screaming. Article 533 bans manufacturing, exporting, supplying, or acquiring "writings, drawings, manual or photographic images, suggestive films, or other indecent items with the intention to trade or distribute them, or announce or inform how to obtain them".

Several films have been banned in Lebanon for LGBT content.

In 2018, prosecutor of Beirut suspended the scheduled activities of Beirut Pride, and initiated criminal proceedings against its founder Hadi Damien for organizing events "that incite to debauchery".

Malaysia

Malaysia has laws which prohibit distributing, displaying or creating materials which are considered as "obscene" or "against public decency". Section 7(1) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 confers to Minister of Home Affairs absolute discretion to censor publications which are prejudicial to public order, morality, security, public or national interest, may "alarm public opinion" or are contrary to any law. This provision has been used to ban at least six LGBT-themed books.

Pro-LGBTQ+ demonstrations are banned as "insulting behaviour" and "contradictory to Islamic morality". Section 14 of the Minor Offences Act 1955, which prohibits "insulting behaviour", has been used against pro-LGBTQ+ protesters.

In 2023, Malaysian authorities seized Pride-themed watches made by Swatch. Eleven shopping malls with Swatch outlets around Malaysia, including in the capital Kuala Lumpur, were raided in May. Home Minister cited Printing Presses and Publications Act of 1984 and said that "the Malaysian government is committed to preventing the spread of elements that are harmful or may be harmful to morals".

In 2010, the Film Censorship Board of Malaysia announced it would only allow depiction of homosexual characters as long as the characters "repent" or die. In 2017, Malaysia tried to censor ''Beauty and the Beast'' over some gay moments but eventually relented and let the movie be shown. The censorship board also had no objections to the screening of ''Power Rangers'' even with a lesbian scene in the movie.

Moldova (sub-national)

Since 2012, several cities have enacted bans on "propaganda" of homosexuality (which do not include any kind of administrative sanctions or fines). These cities are:
*Bălți, enacted on 23 February 2012, and struck down on 28 February 2013
*Drochia, enacted on 27 March 2012
*Cahul, enacted on 29 March 2012
*Ceadîr-Lunga

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