Children's Book About Same-Sex Families Published in Russia
The Russion LGBT organization "Coming Out" released a book for children entitled "(Un)usual Families around Me".
"Propaganda of homosexuality" laws, adopted in St. Petersburg, other regions of Russia, and under discussion on the national level, ban talking to minors about social equivalence of traditional and non-traditional families. In the book, same-sex parents, transgender parents and gay-friendly heterosexual and single parent families express their concern about the state policy of dividing families into "usual" and "unusual", "traditional and non-traditional", and claiming one is better and more valuable to society than another.
"The "traditional family values" they are teaching my child at school and on TV - heteronormativity, homophobia and transphobia - are not appropriate for our family," says Sasha Semenova, author of the book and LGBT activist. "My friends and I, who are raising children, felt that we lacked something to help explain to kids the ideas of tolerance and respect."
"Same-sex families feel threatened and intimidated by the "homosexual propaganda" law every day, just because they are raising children. We felt that under these circumstances this book was especially important," says Polina Andrianova, Coming Out director.
The book includes short stories about same-sex families, single parent families, parents with disabilities, foster or adoptive parents, and parents who are divorced. Its main idea is that love makes a family, not its composition. It has already provoked discussion in the media and social networks. Every day "Coming Out" receives dozens of requests for the book from families all over Russia. However, a poll in the largest local internet forum for families with children shows that more than 40% of parents in St. Petersburg consider the book to be homosexual propaganda.
The book was printed with the support of Henrich Boell Foundation, Moscow.