Why Russia's Sochi Olympics are now a battleground for gay rights

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http://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/10/world/europe/russia-gay-rights-controversy/index.html?eref=edition&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_campaign=cnni&utm_content=buffer03afd&utm_medium=twitter

While there is a growing acceptance toward the LGBT community in the United States and other countries, Dittich said, "this is something he uses to say 'Russians are different' and the LGBT people in Russia pay the price for that."

The anti-gay propaganda law, passed overwhelmingly in parliament and signed off by Putin, bans the public discussion of gay rights and relationships anywhere children might hear it. Those found in breach of it can be fined and, if they are foreign, deported.

Critics say the law is so vaguely defined that it can be used to prosecute someone just for wearing a rainbow T-shirt or holding hands with someone of the same sex in public. Amnesty International has condemned it as an "affront to freedom of expression and an attack on minority rights."