In 2013, Russia’s lower house of parliament, State Duma, passed a law which imposed heavy fines on individuals that shared information on homosexuality to people under the age of 18.
It was later announced additional readings of the bill banning the ‘promotion of non-traditional sexual relations among minors’ would take place a few days later at the State Duma.
On 11 June, media and gay rights protesters challenging the legislative ban, and a group of conservative Orthodox Christian activists who were supporting the bill, were present outside the State Duma building.
The Christian activists chanted “Moscow is not Sodom!” as the activists called out “Moscow is not Iran” and “Fascism shall not pass”.