Pictured: Karimov (left) and Russian President Putin
The collapse of the Soviet Union led to a liberalization of the region, with the newly established Russian Federation decriminalizing homosexuality in 1993. While recent years have seen rising intolerance towards the LGBT population in Russia, legal hurdles remain far less severe than those that continue to hold sway in two former Soviet states. Same-sex activities for men are illegal in both Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan—punishable by up to three and two years, respectively—and the Uzbek President, Islam Karimov, remains outspoken in his antagonism.
In a televised address, Radio Free Europe reports Karimov saying:
"We talk about so-called Western culture. We call it vulgar culture. You know what I mean. It's inappropriate even to speak about this in front of women. When men live with men and women live with women, I think there must be something wrong up here [pointing to his head]. Something is broken here. There is a saying: When God wants to reveal someone's vulgarity, he first takes his reason away."
Following Russia's passage of an anti-LGBT "propaganda" law in 2013, a number of former Soviet states have moved to adopt similar measures. Kyrgyzstan is excpeted to pass one such bill within a matter of weeks.
Photo via Wikipedia
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