Thursday, January 23, 2014 5:18am ET by  
Comments (0)

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sir Elton John pens open letter about Russia's anti-gay laws

Sir Elton John has written an open letter to criticise Russia's laws on homosexuality.

The British singer performed in the country in December despite Russia coming under widespread fire for making it illegal to promote homosexuality to youths.

The 'Rocket Man' star has now penned a new open letter about his experiences, offering to introduce members of the LGBT community to president Vladimir Putin. He said:

"What I heard [in Russia] reinforced all the media stories that have been circling since the propaganda bill became federal law. Vicious homophobia has been legitimised by this legislation and given extremists the cover to abuse people's basic human rights.

"The people I met in Moscow - gay men and lesbians in their 20s, 30s and 40s - told me stories about receiving threats from vigilante groups who would 'cure' them of homosexuality by dousing them with urine or beating them up. One young man was stalked outside a gay club by someone posing as a taxi driver who tried to garrotte him with a guitar string because he was a 'sodomite'."

He added: "Everyone shared stories of verbal and physical abuse - at work, in bars and restaurants or in the street - since the legislation came into force last June. And, some of the vital work providing HIV prevention information to the gay community has been labelled 'homosexual propaganda' and shut down.

"President Putin asserts that [these results were] not the intention [of this law], but it is undoubtedly the effect that this law has had by promoting misunderstanding and ignorance. Whatever the intention... I am absolutely clear from my own personal experience that it is proving deeply dangerous to the LGBT community and deeply divisive to Russian society. I would welcome the opportunity to introduce President Putin to some Russians who deserve to be heard, and who deserve to be treated in their own country with the same respect and warm welcome that I received on my last visit."

 

 

 

 

 

Watch Sir Elton John perform in Russia below: