MOSCOW, February 25 - RAPSI. The Moscow LGBT community Rainbow Association has issued a statement calling for the dissolution of the State Duma on Monday.
The group also announced a planned protest rally against a bill prohibiting gay propaganda, Izvestia daily wrote.

The Rainbow Association calls itself the biggest advocacy group in Moscow for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people, as well as heterosexuals who empathize with the LGBT community. It was established in September 2009.

The Rainbow Association statement says the homophobic law is an antinational act that violates human rights. If adopted, it will seriously affect not only Russian sexual minorities but all Russians who address LGBT issues in the arts, the media and on the Internet.

This law should absolutely not be adopted, the statement stresses.

Chairman of the Rainbow Association Andrei Obolensky and his deputy Pavel Samburov urge "everyone who shares our ideas to join us and help prepare, organize and hold a rally against all antinational bills that the State Duma has adopted or plans to adopt, and to promote the dissolution of the Duma."

On January 25, 2013, the State Duma adopted, in the first reading, a draft law that, if enacted, would impose federal sanctions against the promotion of "gay propaganda" among children.

The law sparked heated debate and controversy.

The draft law, which was submitted in March 2012, stipulates that the promotion of homosexuality among children should warrant a fine ranging between 4,000 and 5,000 rubles (approximately $133-166) for citizens; 40,000 and 50,000 rubles (approximately $1,330-1,660) for officials; or 400,000 and 500,000 (approximately $13,300-16,600) for legal entities.

In terms of enforcement, the bill stipulates that police will write up administrative reports for violations, to be considered in court.

Other variations of the law banning the promotion of homosexuality have been passed in various Russian regions, including St. Petersburg and the Siberian city of Novosibirsk.