Russian actor calls for gays to be burned alive in ovens

A little while back, Olympian/Sochi apologist Johnny Weir described Russia’s anti-gay-propaganda law as “no anal sex in front of libraries,” in an attempt to downplay the climate in Russia.

Apparently, things are just a tad bit worse than Weir’s statement would have you believe, as exemplified by Russian actor Ivan Okhlobystin’s statement that he would take LGBT people and “burn them all alive in ovens.”

According to BuzzFeed, Okhlobystin reportedly said this in front of a group of fans, before comparing the queer community to Sodom and Gomorrah, saying that “as a religious person I can’t be indifferent to it; it’s a living threat to my children.”

“I don’t want my children to think that being a [faggot] is okay . . . It’s queer fascism! If a person can’t choose someone similar from the opposite sex for reproduction, it’s a clear sign of a psychic anomaly, it means they need to be deprived of the vote.” Although oddly enough, Okhlobystin also said that he beats his children, because “kids are wild animals — on some level they don’t understand a damn thing.”

So no, Russia’s gay propaganda law isn’t just a matter of “no anal sex in front of libraries,” because it is actively encouraging sentiments and rhetoric like this.

Keep Reading

Job discrimination against trans and non-binary people is alive and well

OPINION: A study reveals that we have a long way to go to reach workplace equality for trans and non-binary people

The new generation of gay Conservative sellouts

OPINION: Melissa Lantsman’s and Eric Duncan’s refusals to call out their party’s transphobia is a betrayal of the LGBTQ2S+ community

Over 300 anti-LGBTQ2S+ bills have been introduced this year. This doesn’t mean we should panic

OPINION: While it’s important to watch out for threats, not all threats are created equally. Some of these bills will die a natural death

Xtra’s top LGBTQ2S+ stories of the year

The best and brightest—even most bewildering—stories from a back catalogue brimming with insight