Activists Turn Tolerant St. Petersburg Into Homophobic City
In 2012, Milonov was the major force behind the council’s passage of a ban on promoting “nontraditional sexual relations,” including “sodomy, lesbianism, bisexuality and transgenderism,” to people younger than 18. It became a blueprint for the federal law that passed the next year.
The law became a key tool for Bulatov.
He combs social media looking for gays, lesbians and transgender people, or their sympathizers, working in government jobs that involve contact with minors. Parents of public school children often tip him off, he said.
Once he identifies a target, Bulatov prepares a dossier and submits it to the person’s boss. Although the government rarely enforces the law on its own, Bulatov uses it to apply pressure.
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