"However, the court rejected this argument. It pointed to the fact that the man had also shared photos of men kissing on his VK profile, and of men in women's clothing. In its ruling, the court claimed, "posting a photo of Queen members dressed in women's clothing on a website cannot be interpreted in any musical context given the overall meaning of the disseminated information." It said the defendant's actions "positively evaluate non-traditional sexual relationships as natural" and "distort the understanding of relations between men and women, undermining family values.""
"However, it was only when he recently appealed the case that specific details of his supposed crimes came to light. The photo he shared on social media platform VK was a still of the rock band Queen from the video for their 1984 song, "I Want To Break Free". In the film, the band dressed as women. The man said that rather than promoting LGBT life, it was merely a photo of a well-known band in one of their videos."
A 22-year-old Moscow man was found guilty under Russia's LGBT propaganda law for spreading images deemed to promote alternative lifestyles. Appeal materials revealed the shared image was a still from Queen's 1984 "I Want To Break Free" video, in which band members dressed as women. The defendant said the image was merely a band photo. The court rejected that explanation and cited additional VK photos of men kissing and men in women's clothing. The court ruled the posts "positively evaluate non-traditional sexual relationships" and undermine family values. The man was also penalized for posting a Ukrainian Insurgent Army flag and received administrative detention.
Read at Queerty
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