Author Of Russia's Anti-Gay "Propaganda" Bill Crashes LGBT Film Festival

Gay Star News reports that Vitaly Milonov, the author of Russia's "homosexual propaganda" ban, yesterday crashed an LGBT film festival in St. Petersburg.

The homophobic United Russia city parliament deputy Vitaly Milonov reportedly arrived with an entourage of five to six people calling guests 'animals, 'un-Russian' and 'faggots', according to QueerFest organizers. The Russian lawmaker, who co-sponsored the 'non-traditional relationships' law, previously said a gay activist must die for his 'extremism'. According to organizers, Milonov and his group also shoved around two guests, slapping them in the face. After Milonov and his group started attacking guests, police reportedly arrived shortly after, harassing venue owners to show ownership papers.

Queer Fest reports that the police left after "finding no cause for action and everything in order."  Organizers acknowledge that merely holding their event puts them at risk of fines and arrests. Theirs is the first LGBT event to test Russia's new law.