A rainbow used in a music video for a K-Pop band was banned by a Russian television channel due to fears that it violated the country’s ‘LGBT promotion’ rules.
The Duma enacted a measure last year that placed broad new limitations on actions perceived to promote LGBT rights.
Moscow’s leadership has become increasingly ultra-conservative under Vladimir Putin, claiming to be loyal to “traditional values.”
The law broadened a restriction on what it called “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations” to young people created by legislation known as the “gay propaganda” statute.
The Kremlin used it for the first time in 2013.
Now, the restrictions have caused a TV broadcaster to edit off the rainbow for fear of violating the laws.
TNT Music, which hosts a K-pop chart programme, broadcast the music video for boy band Seventeen’s smash song God of Music, replacing the rainbow with a gloomy cloud.
The band is shown singing and dancing in a field in multicoloured clothes beneath the rainbow in the moment in question.
The rainbow was replaced with a cloud in the version that broadcast on TNT Music’s channel.
The channel’s decision to err on the side of caution follows a prior punishment for breaking the law by playing foreign-made music videos.
TNT Music’s owner, Fonbet TV, was fined 1 million rubles (£8800) in July this year by a Moscow court for airing Finnish artist Alma’s music video for the song Summer Really Hurt Us, which featured two women kissing.
According to The Moscow Times, the station faces a punishment of up to 16 million rubles (£142,000) on four administrative accusations of disseminating ‘LGBT propaganda’ among children.
The legislation prohibits the use of ‘propaganda’ in advertising, media and internet resources, books, films, and theatrical events.
It has previously been used to prohibit portrayals of same-sex romance in films.
Russian nationals can be penalised, and non-residents can be expelled, under the regulations.
Foreigners may be imprisoned for up to 15 days before being expelled, with fines ranging from £1,380 to £27,500.
