Lawyers find no reason for prosecuting show organizers in Makhachkala for gay propaganda

The fashion show held in Makhachkala with the participation of two young men dressed as women is not propaganda of homosexuality, since its participants did not agitate anyone, lawyers believe.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that social media users had reacted violently to the video from the opening of a store in Makhachkala, where two young men dressed like women took part in the fashion show. A group of Makhachkala residents demanded from the show organizers to apologize to Dagestani Muslims. The organizers has no plans to attract the attention of "morality guardians", but after the resonance in social networks, the participants and spectators of the event faced threats, Svetlana Anokhina, a journalist, has informed.

The fashion show did not promote homosexuality, Maxim Olenichev, a lawyer, engaged in providing legal assistance to transgender people, is sure.

He has added that "the show itself didn't promote non-traditional sexual relations. By dressing in women's clothes, the men didn't prompt people to change their sexual orientation."

According to the law, there are no grounds for persecuting the participants of the show, but one should pay attention to threats and insults against them, said Igor Kochetkov, a human rights defender and one of the founders of the "Russian LGBT Network"*.

Olga Kvi, a lawyer for the "LGBT+ Case" human rights initiative, has recalled that the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in the case of "Baev et al vs. Russia" emphasized the vagueness of the wording "against propaganda" used in Russian legislation.

"Still, even with the 'vagueness' in mind, it's hard to talk about 'propaganda' when it comes to cross-dressing. How can a man in women's clothes form a 'non-traditional sexual attitude'?" the lawyer has asked.

Olga Kvi has noted that, following the logic of disgruntled Dagestanis, those Russians who wear kilts may fall under the propaganda of homosexuality.