Madonna Sued in Russia for Supporting Gay Rights
Activists are demanding damages of nearly $10.5 million, claiming they were offended by her St. Petersburg concert.
| Posted Sunday, Aug. 19, 2012, at 2:55 PM
Photo by MIKHAIL METZEL/AFP/GettyImages
A group of Russian activists are demanding 333 million rubles, or nearly $10.5 million, in damages from Madonna, saying they were offended by her Aug. 9 concert in St. Petersburg, when she showed support for gay rights. While Russia as a whole isn’t exactly gay friendly, the anti-gay sentiment is particularly strong in St. Petersburg, where a law passed earlier tis year that makes it illegal to “promote” homosexuality to minors, points out the Associated Press.
The lawyer representing the activists told Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency that a total of nine people filed lawsuits demanding compensation for “moral damages” due to Madonna's “open promotion of homosexuality.” Not all of those who filed suit attended the concert, but they “saw media reports,” according to the lawyer.
During her St. Petersburg concert, Madonna expressed support for gay rights in a long speech in which she complained of “growing intolerance” around the world and distributed pink armbands, later asking fans to raise their hands and show the armbands as a sign of support for gays and lesbians.
