What Psychologists Think About The Proposal Of The Deputies - Opinions

Next week, the State Duma will consider in the first reading a bill punishing "public expression of unconventional relationships."

Deputies from the Communist Party faction want to amend the Code of Administrative Offenses: if a same-sex couple hugs or kisses on the street, they will be fined. And if the demonstration of feelings will take place in educational or cultural institutions, then the couple is proposed to be put in a special detention center for up to 15 days.

Here is how experts of the magazine "Our Psychology" commented on the next initiative of the deputies.

Maria Lekareva, psychologist and psychotherapist, head of the Department of Gestalt Therapy at the Moscow Institute of Gestalt and Psychodrama:

“As a psychologist and a citizen, this draft law causes deep regret for me. It contradicts the law, since it is aimed at inciting hatred, enmity and humiliation of human dignity. It will lead to the fact that in our already not very prosperous society, tension, intolerance will increase, the feeling of personal territory and personal security will be lost.

In fact, the authors impose their moderately dense ideas about sexuality, morality, morality and licentiousness on all citizens - it is unclear on what basis. The authors of the bill refer to several specific scientists who have expressed views, however, from the point of view of science, in the history and culture of mankind there are a wide variety of forms of marriage and sexual relations: promiscuity, monogamy, polygyny and polyandry - with heterosexual, bisexual and homosexual orientation of the participants.

The mention in an interview about normal couples in the animal world does not hold up to criticism at all, because lions, dolphins, gulls, rams, albatrosses, giraffes and penguins regularly practice same-sex relationships.

And where is the criterion? As is known, Leonid Brezhnev was inclined to publicly kiss high-ranking officials of different countries and nationalities. Modern girls like to walk and kiss without any sexual overtones. So who and how will distinguish gay people?

The selective application of this provision of the law will only exacerbate the impression of arbitrariness and persecution.

Zealous executors of the bill may well inflict mental trauma on citizens. Taking into account the propensity for self-affirmation among local authorities, one can imagine how many humiliating stories will be provoked on the streets of cities.

On the other hand, fear of humiliation, an attempt to increase self-control, a feeling of hostility from the outside world can provoke a wave of depression and suicidal attempts, especially among young people whose gender identity has not yet been fully formed and psychological stability is often reduced.

Let's imagine for a second that there is a ban on walking an adult with a school-age child in order to curb potential pedophilia. Gentlemen, the police will have the right to publicly separate an adult and his child, issue a fine for indecent behavior … Unthinkable? Disgusting? Scared of helplessness in the face of external force? But then why can this be thought about adults who are in meaningful relationships? In addition, the authors are extremely poorly guided in the psychology of influence in general and in the possibilities of influencing young people in particular. The forbidden fruit is sweet, and by the direction of the governing bodies, interest will not disappear, but rather intensify."

Alexander Shuvalov, candidate of medical sciences, psychiatrist-narcologist:

“Two or three times a year I meet in Moscow with a friend, quite a decent person. We have a tradition that, apparently, will soon become illegal: we hug and rub our beards - whoever has more. Now we urgently need to warn a friend that we will soon be subject to quite real administrative (I hope, not criminal) liability for this. After all, by doing so, we “corrupt the youth, disorient, harm” the birth rate. Here, it turns out, who is to blame! We are with our beards.

But seriously, I just handed over the annual report on psychiatry and have not yet managed to forget the International Classification of Mental Illness, 10th revision, recognized in Russia. In the category of diagnoses “Disorders of sexual preference” there is NO such disease that would have anything to do with a person's sexual orientation. There is fetishism, there is exhibitionism, there is pedophilia, there is even frottering (frottage is when in crowded places (on a bus, for example) someone deliberately touches another person for their own “sexual stimulation”). But even in the latter case, the gender of the “touching subjects” is not indicated.

So my main comment will be this: power without law is a gang. And what the law on homosexuality says, I just wrote. Everyone can have their own opinion, but they cannot have their own law.

Of course, any citizen of Russia can be elected a deputy, regardless of their education. Communicating on duty with mentally unbalanced people, for 48 years of my work I have seen enough of everything, but I don’t remember such perverted cynicism as the authors of the draft law admit”.