Propaganda law(s) in Ukraine

Insight public organizationUkraine - 2012

Olena Shevchenko

02 October 2012 law 8711 was adopted in first reading

Who are initiators?• 5 deputies from all political parties

represented in current Parliament: Lukyanova,Unguryan,Tsarkov,Grigorovich,Chornovil);

• Supporters: Union of Churches of Ukraine, LPG (love contra homosexuality), Committee of mothers of Ukraine, 100000 signs pro this law;

• 2 more laws on “propaganda” (10290 and 10729);

What it about?Rationale of the Law:

Draft Law of Ukraine "On Introduction of Changes to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine (regarding protection of children rights on the safe information space)" designed to strengthen anti-homosexual propaganda in Ukraine and ensure the legal framework for prosecution of violations of public order and morality of the Ukrainian society.

Threat to national security

• The spread of homosexualizm is a threat to national security, as it leads to the epidemic of HIV / AIDS and destroys the institution of family and can cause a demographic crisis.

• Gender=Gay=HIV/AIDS=Juvenal Justice

LGBTQI are demographic threat.

• To address these demographic challenges, it is necessary to create conditions to direct public policy to improve nation’s morals, including introduction of effective mechanisms for strengthening family values and preventing the spread of manifestations of moral depravity in the media. It is moral depravity and so-called sexual freedom promoted in Ukraine, that pose a threat to the above values - health, family institution, the constitutional rights of fathers, mothers, children, freedom of speech and religion, and stable demographic situation.

Information leads to depravity of society.

• Some media, contrary to the interests of society and state, form a tolerant attitude to such phenomenon as same-sex sexual relations. It is known that any form of sexual depravity in society always leads to major social, economic and epidemiological problems.

Censorship for national health and morality.

• Promoting the extreme forms of sexual immorality, Ukrainian media create conditions for the spread of AIDS epidemic in Ukraine. To stop this dangerous process, establishment of mandatory rules, which ban Ukrainian mass media to promote same-sex sexual relations in Ukraine, is needed.

Censorship needs to be legitimized for public (LGBT issues is a really

good way to do it)• Thus, freedom of speech, which underlies the

media, should be limited by setting the relevant prohibitions in the legislation of Ukraine.

• Given the above, to counter the propaganda of homosexualizm and to ensure the legal framework, which promotes high morality of Ukrainian society, adoption of this bill is needed.

Responsibility for “propaganda”.

• ADMINISTRATIVE: 100-300 minimums, which means 1700 – 5100 UAH (170-510 Euro);

• CRIMINAL: for people who made it repeatedly or for the group of people with previous agreement – 3-5 years in jail.

• Homosexuality were inscribed in same row with cruelty and violence.

What now?• The group of deputies from Committee of

freedom of speech and information is now working on the definition of “propaganda”.

• We preparing ourselves to the second reading (it can be on November 2012 or in new Parliament).

• Churches and their public organizations still working on “propaganda of this law”, for instance yesterday they had a “family forum” with anti-homosexual agenda.

What have been done?: 3 took place during 2012.

My family is not propaganda and yours?

International mechanisms:

• Letters from Amnesty International, Human Rights watch and other human rights organization;

• Letters and statements from EU and CoE, deputies of Euro parliament;

• Attention of Embassies based in Ukraine;• Informal talks with representatives of political

parties represented in the Parliament.

Impact of “homo propaganda laws”

• Geopolitical: on UN level Russia pushed a “traditional values resolution”, it means Russia don’t want to be the only anti-homosexual fighter on post-soviet space, that’s why this laws appeared in post-soviet countries.

• Lobby of “traditional values” means censorship majors towards relevant information on peoples freedoms and limits freedom of speech, so it helps to support authoritarizm and oppose democratization.

A concept of “traditional values”

• Gender politic is a treat to “traditional family”;• Sexual education is treat to morality and

health;• Juvenal justice is a treat to family;• LGBTQI is a threat to public morality, national

security, leads to demographic crisis and epidemic of HIV/AIDS.

• LGBTQI rights are not “nature” rights.

What they did?• They took our rhetoric about “Human rights”

and turn it into a concept of “Traditional values”.

• They talking about rights of traditional family and religious groups.

• Sexual education leads to depravity and diseases.

• They use “nature” discourse of Human Rights (color of skin, nationality, ethnicity).

What can we do?• We can take their concept of “traditional

values” and deconstruct it into “traditional values are LGBTQI values also”.

• LGBTQI families are traditional families; • Sexual education leads to improvement of

demographical situation (responsible mother and father hood, decreased number of abortion and child mortality).

• “nature” discourse excludes religious, political, woman's rights etc).

Questions to be answered:

• Who gives many for anti-homosexual lobby?• Which forces are interested in anti-

democratization processes ?• Concept of gender politic=LGBTQI

rights=juvenal justice=threat to “traditional values”

(identifying who are our target allies in this fight?). We need fight on each of this fields!