German Rockers Take Aim at Anti-LGBTQ Russian Law with Onstage Kiss

Russia's deeply dishonest "homosexual propaganda law" has been challenged many times since Vladimir Putin signed it into law in 2013, not least by musicians in concert in the virulently homophobic nation. Madonna, for instance, was threatened with a lawsuit by the Russian government for offering supportive words to LGBTQ Russian youth from the stage in St. Petersburg. A Russian group, Pussy Riot, saw three of its members arrested and charged with "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred" after protesting the extremely anti-gay Russian Orthodox church, which has ties to Putin's government. Pussy Riot's songs famously call out Putin and express support for sexual minorities.

The latest act to scorn the law and show solidarity with Russia's besieged non-heterosexual community? German hard rockers Rammstein. Rolling Stone reports that two members of the band shared a smooch in front of cheering fans during a performance of their song "Ausl�nder," which was perhaps chosen as the anthem for the kiss since the title, in German, means "Foreigner." Given how they have been marginalized and alienated, Russian fans probably got the joke.

Rolling Stone recalled that the law putatively seeks to ban "distorted ideas about the equal social value of traditional and non-traditional sexual relationships" – in itself a derogatory and fictive stance – while having the effect of making it a crime for gays to publicly identify as such by so much as wearing a Pride-themed T-shirt of holding hands in public, or LGBTQ-supportive people to speak up in defense of sexual minorities. As is common with political and religious anti-LGBTQ persecution, those who speak in favor of the law – including, recently, American filmmaker Oliver Stone – have been known to argue that it somehow "protects" children, presumably from being "turned gay" at the sight of an affectionate same-sex couple.

Unsurprisingly, anti-gay bias crimes have skyrocketed in the formerly communist regime.

The law recently led to a public exchange of words in the media in which pop singer Elton John spoke out after "gay" scenes were trimmed from his new biopic, "Rocketman," by Russian censors before its release. John did not reference the film, however; he pointed to comments Putin made to the Financial Times in which the Russian president derided America for being a destination for desperate migrants fleeing violence and poverty, and accused the United States of allowing its children to "play five or six gender roles."

Taking to Twitter, John blasted Putin, addressing him directly and saying, "I strongly disagree with your view that pursuing policies that embrace multicultural and sexual diversity are obsolete in our societies."

Putin publicly responded, calling John a "genius," claiming that gays are free to be themselves in Russia, and throwing in a call to "let the kids grow and then let them decide what they want to do" – even though those kids who happen to be gay or lesbian and decide to stand up for themselves risk violence and legal penalties.

The Moscow Times reported on the story, taking note – as other publications also did – that anti-gay animus is so prevalent in Russia that an advocate for sexual minorities, Yelena Grigoryeva, was murdered after her name was posted by a website that calls for LGTBQs to be "hunted" down. that Grigoryeva was stabbed eight times and there were indications she had also been strangled.

Rolling Stone noted that Rammstein dared to tweak the anti-gay sensibilities of another nation that suffers from homophobia: One band member went crowd surfing during a concert in Poland, displaying a Pride flag as he did so.

Watch a video clip showing the kiss (which takes place at 4:55) below.