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Ikea Buckles to Russia's 'Gay Propaganda' Law - Removes Lesbian Couple from Its Magazine
Ikea kowtowed to Russia’s “homosexual propaganda” law and removed a British lesbian couple from the Russia-edition of its monthly magazine Ikea Family Live, according to The Guardian.
A spokeswoman for the Swedish furniture company confirmed to Sweden’s Aftonbladet newspaper that the company indeed removed the feature about Clara and Kirsty, a Dorset-based lesbian couple who are raising a son, in order to comply with Russia’s Draconian “gay propaganda” law that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin signed this past July.
The spokeswoman said that Ikea was just “following the law” when it removed the feature story that included such offending quotes from the couple as, “We're two mums bringing up our baby boy in Clara's loft.” And, "We're not your average family in your average home, but if my nan can raise two sons in a tiny caravan, we can make it work in our little loft."
"We have two guiding principles in the communication we distribute from Ikea. The first is home interior design. The second is following the law,” the Ikea spokeswoman said. Ikea opted to remove the story from its magazine after consulting with Russian lawyers, The Guardian reported.
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
