Furniture giant Ikea has decided
against including a lesbian couple in its Russian edition of Ikea
Family Live magazine over fears the story might violate the
nation's anti-gay law.
Russia's “gay propaganda” law
prohibits the promotion of gay rights to minors. It has been widely
protested and has provoked calls for boycotts of Russian imports and
international events taking place in Russia.
“We have based the decision on
discussions with our own Russian legal team and also taken advice
from external Russian legal expertise,” Ikea spokeswoman Ylva
Magnusson told BuzzFeed.
The magazine feature explains how Ikea
helped UK couple Clara and Kirsty and their one-year-old son Isaac
redecorate their small loft space.
“We're two mums bringing up our baby
boy in Clara's mum's loft,” Kirsty says in the piece. “We're not
your average family in your average home, but if my nan can raise two
sons in a tiny caravan, we can make it work in our little loft.”
In comments to Sweden's Aftonbladet,
Magnusson added: “We have two guiding principles in the
communication we distribute from Ikea. The first is home interior
design. The second is following the law.”