[Essay]
Did you see what happened in Russia? Besides their war that is. What is happening over there it is very, very scary on many levels.
The Boot Heel of fascism. If you want to see what fascism looks like look to Russia. Putin’s war, Putin’s war on the us.
Last December in Russia…
CNNBy Ivana Kottasová and Anna ChernovaDecember 5, 2022Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed into law a bill that expands a ban on so-called LGBTQ “propaganda” in Russia, making it illegal for anyone to promote same-sex relationships or suggest that non-heterosexual orientations are “normal.”The ban was rubber-stamped by Putin just days after a harsh new “foreign agents” law came into effect, as the Kremlin cracks down on free speech and human rights as its military operation in Ukraine falters.The new laws significantly broaden the scope of a 2013 law which banned the dissemination of LGBTQ-related information to minors. The new iteration extends the ban on promoting such information to adults as well.The new laws make it illegal to promote or “praise” LGBTQ relationships, publicly express non-heterosexual orientations or suggest that they are “normal.”[…]Under the new law, individuals can be fined up to 400,000 rubles ($6,370) for “LGBT propaganda” and up to 200,000 rubles ($3,185) for “demonstrations of LGBT and information that encourages a change of gender among teenagers.”
Meanwhile back in the USA…
The Washington PostBy Kimberly KindyApril 7, 2023As Republican lawmakers nationwide have pushed a historic wave of legislation targeting LGBTQ rights this year, Tennessee is in the vanguard of the movement after years of passing similar legislation and emerging as one of the most restrictive states in the nation on the issue.[…]Since 2015, Tennessee has enacted at least 13 laws that restrict LGBTQ rights — the most in the nation in that time frame, according to a Washington Post analysis of data from two groups that track such legislation. Georgia and Arkansas enacted at least nine similar laws in the same time frame, followed by Alabama with six laws.
Do you see any similarities?
Meanwhile back in the USSR…
(Yes, I know that the old USSR does not exist anymore but then I couldn’t use “Back in the…”)
AP NewsJuly 24, 2023Russian President Vladimir Putin signed new legislation Monday which marked the final step in outlawing gender-affirming procedures, a crippling blow to Russia’s already embattled LGBTQ+ community.The bill, which was approved unanimously by both houses of parliament, bans any “medical interventions aimed at changing the sex of a person,” as well as changing one’s gender in official documents and public records. The only exception will be medical intervention to treat congenital anomalies.It also annuls marriages in which one person has “changed gender” and bars transgender people from becoming foster or adoptive parents.The ban is said to stem from the Kremlin’s crusade to protect what it views as the country’s “traditional values.” Lawmakers say the legislation is to safeguard Russia against “Western anti-family ideology,” with some describing gender transitioning as “pure satanism.”
Now where else have we heard “traditional values?” Wait I know! From the Republicans!
Young people barred from gender affirming care in NC can face greater mental health challenges and higher rates of suicideNC NewslineBY: JOE KILLIANNOVEMBER 10, 2023After consulting with doctors, Sage and their family chose to use puberty blockers for about two years. The extra time allowed Sage to more consciously work on strategies to prevent gender dysphoria — the distress that comes from a misalignment of one’s body and gender identity.The process was simple, safe and reversible, Sage and their family said, and the difference it made was life-changing.“They weren’t sure yet exactly what they were going to want in the future,” Sage’s mother, Debra, said. “But this allowed a pause to figure things out.”This sort of treatment has been in use for four decades, during which studies have repeatedly shown it leads to better mental health outcomes for transgender youth, dramatically lower levels of depression and suicidal ideation. It’s broadly supported by the nation’s largest and most respected medical organizations, including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychiatric Association and the Endocrine Society.In North Carolina, however, after a legislative session that featured several broad assaults on LGBTQ people, their visibility and their allies, it is now illegal.
Anyone see any similarities between Russia and North Carolina?
By now you all know Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law.
AP NewsDecember 2, 2023Russian security forces raided gay clubs and bars across Moscow Friday night, less than 48 hours after the country’s top court banned what it called the “global LGBTQ+ movement” as an extremist organization.Police searched venues across the Russian capital, including a nightclub, a male sauna, and a bar that hosted LGBTQ+ parties, under the pretext of a drug raid, local media reported.Eyewitnesses told journalists that clubgoers’ documents were checked and photographed by the security services. They also said that managers had been able to warn patrons before police arrived.
Back in the USA…
Members of the far-right Proud Boys have been given long prison sentences for their role in the attack on the Capitol on 6 January 2021.BBCBy Mike Wendling6th September 2023In a blog post last year, the Southern Poverty Law Center noted that Proud Boys have turned their attention to "issues most likely to drive right-wing outrage and, in turn, to help the group forge new coalitions"."We're seeing this on every wavelength, every flavour of hate," says Ms Squire, who's been researching Proud Boys activity across the country. "They're just all glomming onto anti-trans sentiment."And as they did during the Capitol riots, the Proud Boys have shown up at anti-drag events ready to be the "far-right muscle," says Chuck Tanner, research director of the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights.
Mussolini had his Black Shirts. Hitler had his Brown Shirts, and Trump has his Proud Boys.
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Let me ask the question again, do you see any similarities between the 1920s & 1930s and now?
I do not like the way the world is moving… the European Union countries are turning to fascism, tensions in the Persian Gulf, China turning up their belligerency in the South China Sea and against Taiwan, and then there is the Hamas Israeli war that is destabilizing the middle east. Venezuela is getting ready to invade Republic of Guyana to seize control of their oil fields.
There was massive wage inequalities in the depression of the 1920s and 1930s and we see the same thing now, huge wage disparities between the haves and haves nots.
We saw the scapegoating on minorities in the 1920s and the 1930s. Back then it was the Jews, Roma, the disabled, and LGBTQ+ people that were the targets of the right-wing now it is immigrates and us.
Countries like the Netherlands, Hungary, Poland, France, and Italy all have tilted to the right and elected neo-Fascist.
There too many similarities between pre-WWII and now. And I am scared.
[/Essay]
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