Russian Official Seeks to Ban ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Over Gay Character
In 2013, he lobbied successfully for the "homosexual propaganda" law banning the distribution to minors of materials depicting "nontraditional sexual relations." He
and some associates also raided gay clubs in St. Petersburg to evict underage customers and once demanded the prosecution of the pop stars Madonna and Lady Gaga for spreading what he considered "homosexual propaganda." Follow Ivan Nechepurenko on Twitter @INechepurenko.
By IVAN NECHEPURENKOMARCH 6, 2017
MOSCOW — A Russian lawmaker who was the driving force behind a measure
that banned the distribution of "homosexual propaganda" to minors said on Monday that the law should be applied to a new Disney version of "Beauty and the Beast," even while acknowledging that he had not yet seen the movie.
The lawmaker, Vitaly V. Milonov, relied on news media reports and complaints from parents
that the children’s film includes a gay character who participates in a "sexually deviated scene," said his spokesman, Ilya Yevstigneyev.
"Our common task," he writes, "is to stop this music film from being shown on screens one way or another." There is no disputing
that the movie, starring the British actress Emma Watson as Belle, features a gay character, LeFou, played by an American, Josh Gad.
"The obvious, blatant, shameless propaganda of sin, of perverted sexual relations." The release of the film coincides
with the start of spring vacation for Russian schoolchildren, adding — for Mr. Milonov — a sense of urgency.
Milonov said that In this case, society cannot be silent about what film distributors are offering under the guise of a children’s tale,