After Praising Russia's Anti-Gay Law, Director Oliver Stone Says He's Not Homophobic

Director Oliver Stone is coming under fire this week for comments he made during an interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin in which he praised the country's infamous "homosexual propaganda law," IndieWire reports.

Stone and Putin were speaking to promote a new documentary called "Revealing Ukraine," directed by Igor Lopatonok and produced by Stone. The two have history, however, as the "JFK" filmmaker directed the 2017 Showtime series "The Putin Interviews" and previously proceed Lopatonok's 2016 doc "Ukraine on Fire."

A transcript of the interview was provided by the Kremlin last week and Stone, 72, said he doesn't "know what is going on with the American culture," saying that it is "very strange right now."

"So much of the argument, so much of the thinking, so much of the newspaper, television commentaries about gender, people identify themselves, and social media, this and that, I'm male, I'm female, I'm transgender, I'm cisgender," he added. "It goes on forever, and there is a big fight about who is who."

Putin said that the younger generation "lives too well" and that Russia has "a law banning [gay] propaganda among minors."

"Yes, that's the one I'm talking about. It seems like maybe that's a sensible law," Stone said.

"It is aimed at allowing people to reach maturity and then decide who they are and how they want to live. There are no restrictions at all after this," Putin responded.

After the interview was shared by the Kremlin, Stone came under fire. Though he didn't deny what he said, he took to his personal Facebook page to claim that neither he nor Putin are "anti-gay/LGBTQ." He also urged people upset with his comments to watch his 2004 film "Alexander."

"As to gay/LGBTQ beliefs in Russia, again much misunderstood," Stone wrote on Facebook. "Mr. Putin made himself clear in 'The Putin Interviews' – he's not anti-gay/LGBTQ. Nor am I. Have another look at 'Alexander,' for which we took a beating in 2004. Beyond the Hephaestion story in the sexuality department, I prominently featured Alexander's love for the Persian eunuch Bagoas, certainly an example of a third sex and emblematic of Alexander's world vision, which I much admired. Do not bring American expectations to Russian life any more than you expect Iran, Korea, Venezuela, or China to follow our political or social demands."

In 2013, Putin approved of the "homosexual propaganda" law, which bars LGBTQ from expressing themselves (like holding hands) in public around minors. Those who break the law can be punished by fines.

Find Stone's Facebook post in full below.