Propaganda law(s) in Ukraine
Insight public organization
Ukraine - 2012
Olena Shevchenko
02 October 2012 law 8711 was
adopted in first reading
Who are initiators?
• 5 deputies from all political parties
represented in current Parliament:
Lukyanova,Unguryan,Tsarkov,Grigorovich,Chor
novil);
• Supporters: Union of Churches of Ukraine, LPG
(love contra homosexuality), Committee of
mothers of Ukraine, 100000 signs pro this law;
• 2 more laws on “propaganda” (10290 and
10729);
What it about?
Rationale of the Law:
Draft Law of Ukraine "On Introduction of
Changes to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine
(regarding protection of children rights on the
safe information space)" designed to
strengthen anti-homosexual propaganda in
Ukraine and ensure the legal framework for
prosecution of violations of public order and
morality of the Ukrainian society.
Threat to national security
• The spread of homosexualizm is a threat to
national security, as it leads to the epidemic of
HIV / AIDS and destroys the institution of
family and can cause a demographic crisis.
• Gender=Gay=HIV/AIDS=Juvenal Justice
LGBTQI are demographic threat.
• To address these demographic challenges, it is
necessary to create conditions to direct public policy
to improve nation’s morals, including introduction of
effective mechanisms for strengthening family values
and preventing the spread of manifestations of moral
depravity in the media. It is moral depravity and socalled sexual freedom promoted in Ukraine, that
pose a threat to the above values - health, family
institution, the constitutional rights of fathers,
mothers, children, freedom of speech and religion,
and stable demographic situation.
Information leads to depravity of
society.
• Some media, contrary to the interests of
society and state, form a tolerant attitude to
such phenomenon as same-sex sexual
relations. It is known that any form of sexual
depravity in society always leads to major
social, economic and epidemiological
problems.
Censorship for national health and
morality.
• Promoting the extreme forms of sexual
immorality, Ukrainian media create conditions
for the spread of AIDS epidemic in Ukraine. To
stop this dangerous process, establishment of
mandatory rules, which ban Ukrainian mass
media to promote same-sex sexual relations in
Ukraine, is needed.
Censorship needs to be legitimized
for public (LGBT issues is a really
good way to do it)
• Thus, freedom of speech, which underlies the
media, should be limited by setting the
relevant prohibitions in the legislation of
Ukraine.
• Given the above, to counter the propaganda
of homosexualizm and to ensure the legal
framework, which promotes high morality of
Ukrainian society, adoption of this bill is
needed.
Responsibility for “propaganda”.
• ADMINISTRATIVE: 100-300 minimums, which
means 1700 – 5100 UAH (170-510 Euro);
• CRIMINAL: for people who made it repeatedly
or for the group of people with previous
agreement – 3-5 years in jail.
• Homosexuality were inscribed in same row
with cruelty and violence.
What now?
• The group of deputies from Committee of
freedom of speech and information is now
working on the definition of “propaganda”.
• We preparing ourselves to the second reading
(it can be on November 2012 or in new
Parliament).
• Churches and their public organizations still
working on “propaganda of this law”, for
instance yesterday they had a “family forum”
with anti-homosexual agenda.
What have been done?:
3 took place during 2012.
My family is not propaganda and
yours?
International mechanisms:
• Letters from Amnesty International, Human
Rights watch and other human rights
organization;
• Letters and statements from EU and CoE,
deputies of Euro parliament;
• Attention of Embassies based in Ukraine;
• Informal talks with representatives of political
parties represented in the Parliament.
Impact of “homo propaganda
laws”
• Geopolitical: on UN level Russia pushed a
“traditional values resolution”, it means Russia
don’t want to be the only anti-homosexual
fighter on post-soviet space, that’s why this
laws appeared in post-soviet countries.
• Lobby of “traditional values” means
censorship majors towards relevant
information on peoples freedoms and limits
freedom of speech, so it helps to support
authoritarizm and oppose democratization.
A concept of “traditional values”
• Gender politic is a treat to “traditional family”;
• Sexual education is treat to morality and
health;
• Juvenal justice is a treat to family;
• LGBTQI is a threat to public morality, national
security, leads to demographic crisis and
epidemic of HIV/AIDS.
• LGBTQI rights are not “nature” rights.
What they did?
• They took our rhetoric about “Human rights”
and turn it into a concept of “Traditional
values”.
• They talking about rights of traditional family
and religious groups.
• Sexual education leads to depravity and
diseases.
• They use “nature” discourse of Human Rights
(color of skin, nationality, ethnicity).
What can we do?
• We can take their concept of “traditional
values” and deconstruct it into “traditional
values are LGBTQI values also”.
• LGBTQI families are traditional families;
• Sexual education leads to improvement of
demographical situation (responsible mother
and father hood, decreased number of
abortion and child mortality).
• “nature” discourse excludes religious, political,
woman's rights etc).
Questions to be answered:
• Who gives many for anti-homosexual lobby?
• Which forces are interested in antidemocratization processes ?
• Concept of gender politic=LGBTQI
rights=juvenal justice=threat to “traditional
values”
(identifying who are our target allies in this
fight?). We need fight on each of this fields!