Gay Rights Activist Detained at Sochi Olympic Park: Rainbow-Clad Transgender Italian Protests Russian Anti-Propaganda Law (PHOTOS)
A gay rights activist was detained allegedly in Sochi Russia near the Olympic Park for protesting the country's law against homosexual propaganda towards minors Monday. The transgender woman was wearing a rainbow flag and clothing and was shouting, so authorities did not let her into the hockey game even though she had a ticket.
The gay rights activist that was detained is former Italian politician and transgender activist Vladmimir Luxuria, who claims a female gender despite not having had any reassignment surgery. Luxuria was at the Shayba Arean in the Sochi Olympic Park for about two hours shouting, "gay is OK!" and "It's OK to be gay!" before four men approached and detained her, according to the Associated Press.
To see photos of Luxuria, click here.
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"The problem was not the rainbow flag, the problem was the writing," Luxuria said, addressing clothes she was wearing that had pro-homosexuality slogans. "They asked me not to show things like that anymore."
The former Communist lawmaker said that she spent most of her two-hour detainment waiting for a translator to arrive. Luxuria admitted to being treated well by authorities, but Russian police denied that they detained or arrested her.
"We've talked to police and they have told us there is no record whatsoever to any detention or arrest," Alexandra Kosterina, a Sochi organizing committee spokeswoman, told AP. Another officer said they have never arrested an Italian national.
Though it wasn't clearly stated why Luxuria was allegedly detained, she said she had no intent on being arrested. According to the Russian legislation, which was signed into law on June 29, 2013, no one can promote non-traditional sexual relationships to minors under 18, and the offense for individuals is usually punished by a fine.
