Putin’s Party Unveils ‘Straight Pride’ Flag

Perhaps it's to distract Russians from the fact that their economy is in the toilet, perhaps it's to stoke the flames of anti-Western jingoism, perhaps its because Putin just didn't care for Will and Grace, but the Russian president and his United Russia party have been cultivating and benefiting from Russian homophobia for political gains.

In their latest act of bigotry disguised as promoting traditional Russian values while fending off Western cultural encroachment, the United Russia party has debuted their "straight pride" flag, which features the white silhouette of a nuclear family upon a blue background. The hashtag below the figures translates to '#realfamily' in Russian.

According to RT, Aleksey Lisovenko, deputy head of United Russia's Moscow organization, told Russian daily Izvestia that the flag will be unfurled at today's Day of Family Love and Faithfulness.

"This is our answer to same sex marriages, this mockery of the very concept of family. We must prevent gay fever in our country and support traditional values," Lisovenko told Izvestia. The flag is meant to be a counter point to the rainbow flag, which Lisovenko has asked the State Duma to ban nation-wide and on websites and social networks.

Commentors have noticed that Russia's "flag for straights" greatly resembles that used by Manif Pour Tous, a movement that opposes the legalization of same sex marriages in France. So not even points for originality.