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Updated: 1pm
JUNIOR HEALTH MINISTER Alex White is unlikely to bring up Russia’s anti-gay propaganda laws with any government officials while in Moscow.
White is due to meet with the country’s deputy health minister Dmitry Kostennikov today. When asked by TheJournal.ie if the junior minister would express his concerns about the law with his Russian counterpart, the Department of Health said that White would only be discussing “issues directly related to his portfolio”.
Yesterday White told the Russian LGBT Sport Federation that Ireland is “firmly committed to combating discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity”.
White made the comments while meeting the organisation, one of Russia’s six LGBTI groups, in Moscow yesterday morning.
The International Crisis Group and Amnesty International were also present at the meeting.
White told the sports group that Ireland views LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) rights as “a human rights priority and is firmly committed to combating discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity”.
Last year Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law an Act that criminalises the dissemination of information about homosexuality to minors. The move cast a shadow over the recent Winter Olympics in Sochi and led to a number of protests against the law’s introduction, including one outside the Russian Embassy in Dublin.
“The Irish Government is on record as having expressed Ireland’s strong disagreement with the legislation that was adopted by the Russian Parliament in June 2013,” White said in a statement issued today.
“In our view, such legislation, while purporting to protect young people, is more likely to result in the further stigmatisation and, indeed, criminalisation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex young people.”
He added that Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore “raised concerns over the Russian legislation at a meeting with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov over lunch at the December EU Foreign Affairs Council”.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny has come under fire from gay rights groups for marching in yesterday’s St Patrick’s Day parade in New York due to a ban on people carrying gay rights slogans in the parade.
White will return from Moscow today, having spent the last four days promoting Ireland in the Russian capital as part of the government’s St Patrick’s Day “Promote Ireland” programme.
Yesterday White also met with Irish business community representatives and attended two food promotion events. On Saturday he attended the 22nd annual St Patrick’s Day Parade in Moscow’s Sokolniki Park and the Emerald Ball, a charity event organised by the Irish Business Club.
He also visited a Tourism Ireland outdoor photographic exhibition in central Moscow. Approximately 20,000 Russians visited Ireland last year.
First published: 11.33 am.
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Moscow’s largest gay club has recently closed down after numerous vigilante-style attacks on it including shootings, the release of a poisonous gas inside and being stormed by over 100 men in an orchestrated beating. Imagine that on George’s Street? No civilised country should have to endure this.
Civilised countries don’t endure it.
Ssshhh ! joe and John are going to tell us what’s important ..
These laws are not as bad as media are making out to be, if anyone is in doubt I suggest you seek them out to read them in full, this is a concerted effort to demonise Russia, information warfare.
Joe. The LGBT movement in Russia may disagree with you on that.
I don’t know maybe some will, maybe some won’t, I can’t make the assumption, I do have friends from Russia who explained clearly the situation to me as well, so maybe you’d like to read the laws and not pass judgement based on what Sky Sensation News tells you what the truth is.
Would you call vice sensation news? Check out their series on LGBT in Russia and get back to this post
Is this the VICE YouTube channel?
Here’s a vid you’ll like Joe….
If it is, then with feature videos like Buttloads of pain: Ass injections gone wrong then I’m afraid your looking at the wrong YouTube channel my friend.
Faceless trolling Joe. You’ve been fingered and you love it.
Here is part 1 Joe in sure you can find the rest in related videos – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZ_aSl3ktjg
Again another one casting aspersions of me as a homophobe now because I simply say don’t buy into this idea that Russia on state level is persecuting the community of LGBT, homophobia exist everyone Keith my man, sad but true story they get attacked in every country in the world, not just Russia, you know United States (31 states) has same laws as one Russia made? It’s primary function is to stop kids being sexualised at early age, no matter what orientation, I find more disgusting in some US states schools they teach children of 5 years how to masterbate, I guess Keith your too busy or don’t care to disseminate lies brought to you by media, you just swallow it.
Where am I trolling Keith? You know what means yes? I’m not trying antagonise anyone here just trying inform people.
Wrong, Joe. Very wrong
Joe C, this is all part of the Western media bias against just about anything Russian. I’m no fan of the Russians and have no desire to live there but the USA and EU are hardly paragons of sweetness and light in some respects. However, for now, it’s Russia = Bad : West = Good. It takes people’s minds off the really important issues.
Decided by you right ?
Where would you prefer to live Joseph.
And follow up: Why don’t you f-off to wherever that might be?
That’s uncle Joe to you ..
Jeremy, two questions deserve two answers.
Italy.
Because debating with you on here makes me laugh.
How can White say Ireland considers LGBTI to be “a human rights priority and is firmly committed to combating discrimination” when our Taoiseach wouldn’t even boycott the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York.
Also Joe your opinion is void as you are clearly still drunk from yesterday, watch the documentary “Hunted” and then try say “this is a concerted effort to demonise Russia”
He thought that he was at the Vatican….
Who is Alex White? Never heard of him
A snooker player I think. Certainly, member of a party that makes a balls of things one way or another
He’s the guy who was caught rapid on twitter a few weeks back with a picture of a “hot teenage girl” being added to his favorites.
So he’s well qualified to talk about sexuality issues….
you’d never know what he is up to. lurking around inside O’Reilly’s beard
This gay thing is really starting to catch on.
Mad the Irish government supports sanctions that the eu and states impose on Russian, but we still go to Russia to promote Ireland for tourism god this government uses this country like a lil wh**e
Feck all use telling LGBT. It’s Putin that needs telling and not by an insignificant pleb.
“White says Ireland disagrees” I don’t remember asking Alex White to speak on my behalf?
“White told the sports group that Ireland views LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) rights as “a human rights priority.
Please, there are far more human rights concerns the world over, I assume next stop is Saudi Arabia for the junior minister and then on to Uganda to express similar concerns? Just like our government ‘ministers’ were very vocal on human rights when they were in Saudi Arabia a few months back?…. Oh no they didn’t, that’s right…..
As is anyone who is Intersex automatically Gay or Lesbian? I thought Russia’s law only concerned Gay/Lesbian propaganda? Why are Intersex people been lumped in here? Have they been consulted?
There is children starving in Ireland maybe one day they might be LGBT Alex White the coward cares not for their welfare . This is all P.R any man who continuously votes for the suffering of disabled/handicapped people has no right to present himself as a man who cares for human/civil rights . He by his actions is null and void on the issue.
What the feck is intersex? They seem to have a new letter at the end depending on which day of the week it is.
It might stand for “Im james and I make fun of and criticise things because I dont understand them” ? Probably not, they’d need an extra letter or two.
Intersex is where a person has both genitalia, androgyny I think it used to be called.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001669.htm
So what’s wrong with calling it Androgyny still ? Whilst we’re at it, can we have Gay reverted to Homosexual ? Please.
Your tears are salty but they taste so sweet, its obvious who’s feelings are really hurt here.
Are you intersexed Joseph? Or do know anyone who is? Do you ever need to use the terms ‘intersex’ or ‘androgyny’ with any regularity? Does it actually affect you in any way whatsoever? Thought not. So how about just letting the medics and the tiny minority of people who are actually effected by this alone to call it the most appropriate term they see fit? I suppose you still call people with Downs Syndrome “mongols”?
First you wanna take homophobe away as a word now gay ???
Dlyan if you have to go crying to the journal staff about my comment then it is truely obvious. Good luck with your issues.
What are you even talking about as if Id waste my time reporting your comments, if they were taken down it was because Journal staff wanted to take them down. Dont kid yourself thinking I care enough about your opinion enough to try and have your comments deleted.
Standing up for LGBT people makes me gay now? Shit, I didnt see that one coming. Does wanting to fight racism and oppression in Africa make me black too? All these things I never knew about myself. If you feel like my replies have been “attacks” then maybe the internet isnt the place for you.
Better to do away with gay, homosexual and heterosexual. They all refer to the social construct known as sexual orientation, foisted upon the world by 19th century psychiatrists. It’s time to get back to how it was previously described, natural acts that serve humanity and illicit acts that just happen.
Yeah but it’s the 21st century
In the above article it states that Enda Kenny has come under fire from gay rights groups for marching. This is right beside a link to a previous article where Enda Kenny states that he has spoken to the relevant gay rights organization in New York and they have encouraged the Irish government to take part in the parade. Which is it? Under fire or encouraged or both. The depth of the reporting on this issue is limited to reporting on political and corporate reaction to the issue. Correct me if I am wrong but the journal has not once reported on the background to the current situation itself. Why is that?
An abortion story and a LGBT story on the same day. Must be like christmas morning at Journal HQ.
Just waiting for the Immigration council article and this weeks Feminazi piece to top it off…..
Of all the people likely to change Russia’s mind on this abhorrent law, Alex White is probably the least likely to have any effect whatsoever on their decisions.
To be honest, I’d be surprised if Putin knew he was there.
I’m starting to think thejournal.ie is going into competition with gay community news.
He is spending his time kissing Putin’s ass… No mention of either LGBT issue or Ukraine. Nice to see our TDs are upstanding folk with lots of backbone
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