Foreign Correspondent

Russia: The Iron Closet (2013x26)

Air date: Oct 29, 2013

Around the world there’s a loud, proud fight for equality. And in some places significant battles are being won. The right for same-sex partners to marry under law and recognition that gay couples should enjoy the same financial and social benefits as heterosexual couples. In many places there’s good reason to celebrate advances but not in Russia. There the fight is to stay out of jail, or avoid stinging fines for openly identifying as gay. And draconian anti-gay laws are effectively licensing vigilantism as gangs target the LGBT community. Why the crackdown and will the billion-dollar Sochi Winter Olympics become a global protest point?