Officials in Russia are investigating a
toy store chain for carrying a game they say violates that nation's
ban on promoting “gay propaganda” to minors.
According to RIA
Novosti, the Katyusha toy store chain is under investigation
after a man from the southern Russian city of Stavropol filed a
complaint with local authorities.
A Stavropol parents committee told the
state-run news agency that the game, Fanty, runs afoul of the law by
instructing players “to act out the seduction of members of the
same sex like in an erotic film.”
The local prosecutor's office said that
the toy store will be informed of the results of the investigation
after 30 days.
Approval of the law in June provoked
worldwide condemnation and calls for boycotts of Russian made imports
and international events taking place in Russia, including the
upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi.
On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir
Putin defended
the law as “democratic.”
Western groups in recent weeks have
launched campaigns targeting Russia's law. Singer Melissa Etheridge
this week launched Uprising
of Love, which aims to support LGBT Russians. The Principle 6
campaign includes a line of bright red merchandise from Los
Angeles-based retailer American Apparel that highlights the law's
incompatibility with the Olympic spirit.
(Related: American
Apparel: Russia's anti-gay law incompatible with Olympic spirit.)