Russian court rules photo of rock band Queen constitutes ’LGBT propaganda’

A Moscow resident has been fined for spreading “LGBT propaganda” over a photograph he posted online showing members of the rock band Queen dressed in women’s clothing while filming the music video for their song I Want to Break Free,investigative outlet Verstka reported on Saturday.

The case against 22-year-old David Gevondyan, was initially heard in March, but it was only during the appeal against his fine that specifics of the image that led to the case were revealed.

In his appeal, Gevondyan argued that there had been no violation of the law, and rejected the idea that a photo of men wearing women’s clothing constituted so-called “LGBT propaganda”, stressing that the photograph was simply a shot from a well-known music video.

The court rejected his argument, however, and fined Gevondyan for additional photos on his VK page which included images of two men kissing and two men dressed in miniskirts, stockings and wigs.

The court ruling said that “posting a photo of Queen members dressed in women’s clothing on a website cannot be interpreted in any musical context given the overall meaning of the disseminated information.”

According to the court, Gevondyan’s actions were considered propaganda because they “positively evaluate non-traditional sexual relationships as natural” and “distort the understanding of relations between men and women, undermining family values,” threatening demographic and economic development.

The court also found Gevondyan guilty of displaying extremist symbols over a Ukrainian Insurgent Army flag that was also found on his VK page, and for which he received 10 days administrative arrest.