US Condemns Kyrgyzstan for 'Gay Propaganda' Measure

The U.S. condemned Kyrgyzstan for their plans to adopt legislation to ban "gay propaganda," saying that the discriminatory law will hurt the Central Asian nation.

Rueters reports Kyrgyzstan's parliament began debating the legislation last week. It would impose prison terms of up to one year for those who are "popularizing homosexual relations" and "propaganda of a homosexual way of life."

Those who "form a positive attitude to untraditional sexual relations" among minors or in the mass media now face jail, in this impoverished nation of 5.5 million that is struggling to build their first parliamentary democracy in authoritarian post-Soviet Central Asia.

The U.S. embassy called on the parliament to "oppose legislation that would criminalize expression of identity or limit civil society," with Human Rights First urging President Barack Obama to publicly condemn the legislation and press the government to stop passage of "this blatantly homophobic legislation."

"No one should be silence or imprisoned because of who they are or whom they love," wrote the U.S. embassy in Kyrgyzstan. "Laws that discriminate against one group of people threaten the fundamental rights of all people."

But the legislation has strong support among pro-government and opposition factions, who have spoken in favor of the legislation, with some calling for even tougher penalties.

As reported in June, the legislation mirrors that of their neighbor, Russia, as it makes it a crime to spread information about the LGBT community, tacking on a ban of $115, more than half the average monthly salary in the impoverished nation, and up to a year in prison.

In that article Nicole Kiil-Nielsen, MEP, Vice-Chair of the European Parliament Delegation to Kyrgyzstan and member of the EU LGBT Intergroup said, "It's only been 16 years since Kyrgyzstan decriminalized homosexuality. I urge the Kyrgyzstan not to go back to state-sponsored homophobia."

It was only in 1998 that sex between consenting men and in 2004 that sexual acts between consenting women were decriminalized in Kyrgyzstan.

As reported earlier this month, officials from the European Union said that bill is one of "the most sweeping anti-propaganda bills ever published."

The country currently accepts aid from both the U.S. and Russia; hopefully, the U.S. will pull aid if this legislation is adopted.