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LGBT Group Says Global Protests Target Russia's 'Propaganda' Law


A demonstrator holds a rainbow flag and the Russian national flag during a protest outside the Russian Embassy in Berlin on December 12 calling on Russian authorities to lift antigay laws ahead of the Sochi 2014 Olympics.
A demonstrator holds a rainbow flag and the Russian national flag during a protest outside the Russian Embassy in Berlin on December 12 calling on Russian authorities to lift antigay laws ahead of the Sochi 2014 Olympics.
Protests against Russia's gay "propaganda" law are being held in 19 cities around the world on February 5, according to All Out, a gay-rights organization.

The group said the demonstrations -- in such cities as New York, Paris, St. Petersburg, and London -- are aimed at getting sponsors of the Olympics to "speak out against Russia's antigay laws."

U.S. telecom company AT&T said this week that it stands "against Russia's anti-[lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender] law."

Russian President Vladimir Putin told International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach that Sochi will be "a hospitable home."

The buildup to the Winter Olympics -- which officially open on February 7 -- has been tarnished by a Russian law that forbids the "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations" among minors.

Some activists have called for a boycott of the Olympics because of the legislation, and some athletes have hinted that they will speak out against the legislation.

Based on reporting by AFP and BBC

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