Gay activists presented a petition to Russia’s UN ambassador Aug 8 with more than 300,000 signatures urging world leaders and the International Olympic Committee to condemn Russia’s anti-gay laws, The Washington Post reports.
The members of All Out, who launched the petition, slipped a CD with the signatures under the ambassador’s gate.
Ambassador Vitaly Churkin picked up the CD and stopped for 10 minutes to argue with protesters.
“We don’t have anti-gay laws. We have laws banning homosexual propaganda among minors,” Churkin insisted, telling the protesters that no gay people have been harmed as a result of the law.
Churkin also told protesters they should go through proper channels and deliver the petition to Russia’s UN mission.
The activists had originally hoped to present the signatures to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at Churkin’s residence but arrived too early.
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