Homophobic propaganda
Encyclopedia
Homophobic propaganda is organized social and political activity (public speech, public behavior, meetings and actions), based on negative and intolerant attitudes towards gay
s, lesbian
s, bisexuals and transgender
people. Such propaganda supports anti-gay prejudices and stereotypes, and promotes social stigmatisation and/or discrimination. The term "homophobic propaganda" was used by the historian Stefan Micheler in his work Homophobic Propaganda and the Denunciation of Same-Sex-Desiring Men under National Socialism, as well as other works treating the topic.
In some countries, some forms of homophobic propaganda are considered hate speech
and are prohibited by law. In Russia
, such propaganda can also be treated as illegal, because laws in Russia explicitly prohibit hate speech against any social group (not explicitly mentioning sexual orientation
), and LGBT can be considered as distinct social group. But law specialists generally agree that in Russia the law is not working from a practical standpoint. Cases of criminal punishment for anti-gay, nationalistic or other xenophobic hate speech are rare in Russia.
was based on the assumption that homosexuals were destroying the German nation as "sexual degenerates". Historian Erwin J. Haeberle, in his work Swastika, Pink Triangle and Yellow Star: The Destruction of Sexology and the Persecution of Homosexuals in Nazi Germany, dates the first appearance of this political attitude to 14 May 1928.
became the first country to establish a criminal penalty (a fine or imprisonment for up to two years) for public threats, defamations, expressions of hate, or agitation for discrimination against LGBT
persons.
joined the Dutch Penal code, which established punishment for public defamations on the basis of sexual orientation as fees or imprisonment for up to two years.
a resolution against anti-gay hate speech came into effect. It establishes penalty in the form of fees or imprisonment for up to two years for publication or distribution of materials which contain defamations, threats, hate speech or offenses for LGBT people. The law is occasionally taken into effect.
, Australia
, an amendment to the antidiscrimination law came into effect which prohibits public hate speech, despisement or deridement of homosexuals. A legal exclusion is an information which is distributed for educational, religious, scientific or social purposes.
On 10 December 1999 an analogous amendment was accepted by Tasmania
n parliament, which permits no exclusion.
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
s, lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
s, bisexuals and transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
people. Such propaganda supports anti-gay prejudices and stereotypes, and promotes social stigmatisation and/or discrimination. The term "homophobic propaganda" was used by the historian Stefan Micheler in his work Homophobic Propaganda and the Denunciation of Same-Sex-Desiring Men under National Socialism, as well as other works treating the topic.
In some countries, some forms of homophobic propaganda are considered hate speech
Hate speech
Hate speech is, outside the law, any communication that disparages a person or a group on the basis of some characteristic such as race, color, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, or other characteristic....
and are prohibited by law. In Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, such propaganda can also be treated as illegal, because laws in Russia explicitly prohibit hate speech against any social group (not explicitly mentioning sexual orientation
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
), and LGBT can be considered as distinct social group. But law specialists generally agree that in Russia the law is not working from a practical standpoint. Cases of criminal punishment for anti-gay, nationalistic or other xenophobic hate speech are rare in Russia.
Nazi Germany
Political attitudes towards homosexuals in Nazi GermanyNazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
was based on the assumption that homosexuals were destroying the German nation as "sexual degenerates". Historian Erwin J. Haeberle, in his work Swastika, Pink Triangle and Yellow Star: The Destruction of Sexology and the Persecution of Homosexuals in Nazi Germany, dates the first appearance of this political attitude to 14 May 1928.
Russia
In Russia, it is illegal to commit crimes against someone based on their sexual orientation . Responsibility for it is established item 136 and item 282 of the criminal code of the Russian Federation. Experts, however, notice that cases of criminal prosecution for hate crimes are rare and almost never lead to serious punishment.Norway
In 1981, NorwayNorway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
became the first country to establish a criminal penalty (a fine or imprisonment for up to two years) for public threats, defamations, expressions of hate, or agitation for discrimination against LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
persons.
The Netherlands
On July 1, 1987 in the NetherlandsNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
joined the Dutch Penal code, which established punishment for public defamations on the basis of sexual orientation as fees or imprisonment for up to two years.
Ireland
In 1989 in IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
a resolution against anti-gay hate speech came into effect. It establishes penalty in the form of fees or imprisonment for up to two years for publication or distribution of materials which contain defamations, threats, hate speech or offenses for LGBT people. The law is occasionally taken into effect.
Australia
On 2 March 1993 in New South WalesNew South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, an amendment to the antidiscrimination law came into effect which prohibits public hate speech, despisement or deridement of homosexuals. A legal exclusion is an information which is distributed for educational, religious, scientific or social purposes.
On 10 December 1999 an analogous amendment was accepted by Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
n parliament, which permits no exclusion.