Putin expresses view on same-sex marriages in Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday denied that the rights of sexual minorities are being violated in Russia. “Sexual minority rights are not violated in Russia,” he said at a news conference after talks with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, adding that those people enjoy the same rights and freedoms as other Russians, RIA reported.

“I consider it necessary to defend the rights of sexual minorities, but… children are not born in same-sex marriages. Both Europe and Russia face problems of demographic nature,” the Russian President said, adding that though demographic problems might be solved by encouraging migration, he would like Russia’s population to grow in first place because of a demographic boom “in the so-called titular ethnic groups: Russians, Tatars, Chechens, Bashkirs, Dagestanis and so on.”

Speaking about gay marriages, Putin mentioned the mentality of the Russian people and said that such issues should be dealt with in accordance with the tendencies prevailing in the public mood.

“Can you imagine an organization promoting pedophilia in Russia? I think people in many Russian regions would have started to take up arms. The same is true for sexual minorities: I can hardly imagine same-sex marriages being allowed in Chechnya. Can you imagine it? It would have resulted in human casualties,” he said.

The Russian leader reiterated that the gay propaganda rules, recently adopted by several Russian regions and fiercely criticized by many Western public figures and rights groups, ban homosexual propaganda among minors.