A propaganda video was released in Russia featuring Santa Claus – or rather, “Santa Putin” – delivering a message of nationalism and anti-Western sentiment.
The video was produced by the production company Signal, and portrays Russian President Vladimir Putin as a ‘Santa Putin’ figure. The video begins with a young boy being raised by a same-sex couple, and shows ‘Santa Putin’ taking a photograph of the couple and replacing it with one of a mother and father. He then presents the boy with a football, toy cars, and a drum kit, as if to suggest that these are the traditional toys a young boy should be playing with.
In the clip, a boy living in the West is depicted drawing a picture for Santa, asking for both traditional male toys and a mother and father. The child’s drawing depicts himself holding hands with a woman and a man, whereas the pictures on the mantelpiece in the child’s home indicate that he only has two male parents.
The young lad recoils at the prospect of having to garb himself as a female, revolting at the thought of the necklace and head-dress, both of which he throws aside in revulsion. The narrative conveys how he has been coercively brought up as a female against his wishes. The camera focuses on books in the kid’s homely abode, with names like ‘Straight into Gay’, ‘Render me, Gender me’ and ‘Growing up Gay’.
The child, wearing pink pajamas, is shown nodding off on the sofa after placing a letter to Santa in his stocking above the fireplace. Suddenly, a figure resembling Vladimir Putin appears with a white beard and a red stocking. As he enters, the tunes of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s ‘Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy’ – from The Nutcracker – starts to play. ‘Santa Putin’ is then seen changing the decorations of the room and replacing girly items with presents that the creators of the video consider to be suitable for a boy.
As Santa looks into the mirror above the mantelpiece, the reflection of the Russian President becomes more visible. He then turns to the camera and is shown outside, where the boy discovers his presents – a football and a transformer toy. The boy wakes up with a huge smile on his face, and looks out the window to see Santa still watching.
The video also appears to be an attempt to boost President Putin’s image, by presenting him as a benevolent figure who can bring order and traditional values to a chaotic world. The video also reinforces the idea of Russia as a ‘Greater Fatherland’, with President Putin as a father figure who can bring stability and security to the nation. This is a powerful political message, and one that is likely to resonate with many Russian citizens.
A new law passed in Russia that would ban the spread of “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations.” In 2013 Russia passed a similar law aimed to protect minors. The new law now makes it illegal to spread “propaganda” about “nontraditional sexual relations” in all media, including social, advertising, and movies. The law comes as part of an ongoing effort by the government to limit the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, and is seen by human rights groups as a violation of human rights.
Most Russian citizens agree with President Putin’s stance on LGBTQ+ rights and support the ban. In fact, more Russians oppose same-sex relationships than they did nearly a decade ago. Those in favor of the ban argue that protecting traditional values and family structure is integral to Russian culture, and that this ban is necessary to ensure the safety and well-being of children.
Supporters of the law also advocate for the traditional view of marriage and family life, believing that same-sex relationships should not be promoted or accepted. However, those opposed to the law argue that it is a violation of human rights, and that it contributes to an atmosphere of intolerance and discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals. Furthermore, opponents of the law argue that it has had a negative impact on LGBTQ+ people in Russia, as they have experienced increased levels of violence and persecution in recent years.
While the international community may not agree with the law, it is clear that the majority of Russian citizens stand with Putin on this issue. In fact, the majority of people living in countries where promoting LGBT or sexualized content in media is still illegal have traditional beliefs. Since the first version of Russia’s controversial “gay propaganda” law that banned promotion of homosexuality among minors in 2013, the share of the population opposed to same-sex relationships has grown by 10%
During a recent interview with Piers Morgan, Andrew Tate, a well-known influencer, caused Piers to acknowledge that other countries don’t approve of Western democracy or the modern acceptance of sexual immorality. This is quite different from how the media often portrays the situation. Andrew’s influence was strong enough to get Piers to recognize this fact, even though it may not be what people want to hear.
A recent report by Entertainment Insider outlines the massive increase in LGBTQ content in children’s programming and explains that the people behind the scenes have been trying to make this happen for years, and are not stopping any time soon.
“The rise of gender-diverse representation isn’t a coincidence,” Insider reports. “Shows created and run by queer women, trans, and nonbinary showrunners are largely responsible for the influx of nonbinary and trans characters in kids’ animation.”
Organizations like GLAAD, and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, have been successful in convincing Hollywood to increase LGBTQ representation in media — specifically for children’s programming like Nickelodeon, PBS, and Cartoon Network.
Support for same-sex marriage in the U.S. has reached an all-time high of 70%, according to a poll released by Gallup. The rise in support stems largely from a surge in support from Republicans, who for the first time approve of same-sex marriage at 55%.
A tidal wave of gay representation has washed over children’s TV shows, with a 222 percent increase in LGBTQ characters and stories between 2017 and 2019 alone.
According to Gallup studies published in papers like the Guardian, the percentage of adults in the US who identify as LGBTQ+ has also doubled over the past 10 years. The poll results show a record 7.1% of American adults identify as LGBTQ+, jumping from 3.5% in 2012.
The poll also found that 21% of Generation-Z – those born between 1997 and 2003 – identify as LGBTQ, more than double the proportion of the previous millennial generation.
Just a few years ago the majority of Americans opposed gay marriage and even Barack Obama publicly opposed the idea. Today, the Washington Post is arguing that ‘kink’ belongs at pride parades and that children need to see it.
