Russian lawyer calls for ban on coverage of tiger-goat friendship, citing “gay propaganda”

A lawyer from the Siberian city of Novosibirsk has called for a ban on stories about the apparent friendship between Amur the Siberian tiger and Timur the goat, claiming that the widespread media coverage constitutes “gay propaganda”.

The pair found fame when Timur was released into the Amur’s enclosure at a zoo in Russia’s Far East and the tiger became friends with the goat instead of eating it. Videos documenting the relationship between the animals have gone viral.

Lawyer Alexei Krestianov, however, has appealed to the General Prosecutor’s Office to prohibit future coverage, arguing that it poses a threat to children, according to a copy of the letter published on his personal Facebook page on Wednesday.

The letter claims that the “positive” exposure given to the “non-traditional co-habitation” of the two male animals was “an intrusion into the private lives of underage citizens and covert gay propaganda, as well as an active imposition of homosexuality”.

Mr Krestianov also noted that the stories could have a negative influence on the formation of children’s personalities by “arousing interest in non-traditional sexual relationships” and causing confusion over their sexual identity.

While homosexuality is legal in Russia, in 2013 President Putin signed a law that introduced fines for citizens who spread information aimed at minors which may cause a “distorted understanding” that gay and heterosexual relations are “socially equivalent”, termed “gay propaganda”.

Source: The Moscow Times