A new report from Human Rights First, a New York City-based advocacy group, suggests a number of potential strategies for President Obama can implement to voice his opposition to Russia's anti-LGBT laws when he travels to St. Petersburg for the G20 Summit Sept. 5-6.
BuzzFeed reported Monday that Obama is likely to meet with four Russian non-governmental organizations, among them the St. Petersburg-based LGBT organization Coming Out and the LGBT Network; the latter group has not yet confirmed its participation however.
The summit comes during a time when relations between the U.S. and Russia have been strained by the situation around Edward Snowden and their opposing stances on Syria. Obama last month canceled a one-on-one meeting scheduled with Putin, citing concerns over human rights issues, and has stated his opposition to the anti-LGBT laws.
The HRF report, "Convenient Targets: The Anti-'Propaganda' Law and the Threat to LGBT Rights in Russia," details several facets of the current anti-LGBT sentiment in Russia among them hate crimes and the implementation of anti-LGBT laws at both the local and federal levels.
Among the strategies the report suggests for President Obama are meeting with local activists; directing the State Department to seek clarification of the "propaganda" aspects of the legislation; calling for a multi-national coalition to voice its opposition; calling for leadership from the U.S. Olympic Committee; pointing out contradictions in the Russian government's public messaging; and consistently exerting strong leadership on LGBT rights.
The report also suggests, however, that all of these strategies require caution. Homosexuality has historically been regarded as a symptom of Western decadence in Russia, so any overly aggressive political gestures would likely only strengthen the resolve of anti-gay politicians, organizations and citizens.
The report can be read at www.humanrightsfirst.org/uploads/pdfs/HRF-russias-anti-gay-ban-SG.pdf .