Steve Bannon, former advisor to ex-President Donald Trump, mentioned People ought to help "anti-woke" Russian President Vladimir Putin due to Putin's lengthy historical past of anti-LGBTQ politics.

Bannon praised Putin a number of hours earlier than the Russian chief launched an invasion of Ukraine. His commendation adopted accolades for Putin from Trump and different conservatives.

"Putin ain't woke. He's anti-woke," Bannon mentioned to non-public army contractor Erik Prince throughout the Wednesday broadcast of Conflict Room, Bannon's present on Actual America's Voice, a right-leaning media community.

"The Russian folks nonetheless know which toilet to make use of," Prince replied.

"They know what number of, what number of genders are there in Russia?" Bannon requested.

"Two," Prince answered.

"They do not have the flags, they do not have the Pleasure flags outdoors of their—" Bannon continued.

"They do not have boys swimming in women' faculty swim meets," Prince responded.

"How savage. How medieval," Bannon added.

The trade introduced up numerous points within the U.S. LGBTQ-rights motion that Republicans and conservatives have opposed.

Prince's point out of loos refers to conservative opposition to insurance policies permitting transgender folks to make use of public amenities matching their gender id. Conservatives declare such insurance policies enable sexual predators to threaten women and girls. Trans activists say they've a proper to make use of public amenities like all people else and that conflating trans folks with sexual predators encourages violence in opposition to trans folks.

Prince's point out of school swim meets refers to Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer with the College of Pennsylvania. Folks have disagreed on whether or not Thomas and different trans feminine athletes must be allowed to compete on ladies's groups after transitioning. Critics say that puberty and genetics give trans athletes unfair bodily benefits over cisgender ladies.

Bannon's point out of flying Pleasure flags might confer with Trump's refusal to let any U.S. embassies fly rainbow Pleasure flags for June Pleasure month celebrations.

Steve Bannon Vladimir Putin anti-woke LGBTQ Russia
Steve Bannon, former advisor to ex-President Donald Trump, has mentioned that People ought to help "anti-woke" Russian President Vladimir Putin due to his anti-LGBTQ politics. Above, Bannon exits Manhattan Federal Courtroom on August 20, 2020, within the Manhattan borough of New York Metropolis. Stephanie Keith/Getty

Bannon's reward of Putin echoes comparable sentiments just lately expressed by Trump and Trump's Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

However Putin is famend amongst international human-rights teams for his anti-LGBTQ insurance policies.

In June 2013, Putin signed a regulation banning so-called "homosexual propaganda" in Russia. The regulation ostensibly seeks to "shield kids" from any "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relationships," in line with the regulation's textual content.

The regulation has largely been used to silence LGBTQ activist organizations, occasions, web sites and media, in addition to to interrupt up households and harass lecturers, in line with LGBTQ Nation. The regulation has been roundly condemned by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Youngster, the human-rights teams Amnesty Worldwide and Human Rights Watch and civil-rights activists all over the world.

Putin has additionally largely ignored an ongoing and years-long crackdown in opposition to homosexual, bisexual and lesbian folks residing within the semi-autonomous Russian area of Chechnya.

The crackdown, which started in December 2016, entails police and army officers arresting suspected queer folks beneath claims of drug dealing or terrorism. The officers then use electrocution, beatings, excessive chilly, hunger, dehydration, isolation, pressured nudity and homophobic insults to get arrestees to disclose extra suspected homosexuals, in line with the Russian LGBT Community. An estimated 33 folks have died within the crackdown and a whole lot have fled the area because it started.

Bannon co-founded the right-wing information web site Breitbart and was chief government officer of Trump's 2016 presidential marketing campaign. He additionally served as White Home chief strategist and senior counselor to the president from January 2017 till August 18, 2017, when Trump fired him.

In August 2020, Bannon was indicted by a federal grand jury, accused of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and cash laundering related to the "We Construct the Wall" marketing campaign, a $25 million GoFundMe crowdfunding, which claimed to be elevating cash to assist Trump assemble a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico.

Quite a few LGBTQ activists and organizations thought of Trump's presidency as essentially the most anti-LGBTQ presidency of all time.

Throughout his presidency, Trump banned transgender folks from the army, repealed earlier protections permitting trans college students to make use of faculty loos, refused to acknowledge same-sex couples' foreign-born kids and spouses, wrote authorized briefs supporting enterprise homeowners' discrimination in opposition to LGBTQ folks on the premise of spiritual beliefs and discontinued recognition of June as LGBTQ Pleasure month.

Trump's supporters referred to as him essentially the most pro-LGBTQ president of all time as a result of he talked about LGBTQ folks throughout his 2016 acceptance speech on the Republican Nationwide Conference and since he appointed Richard Grenell, an out homosexual man, because the U.S. ambassador to Germany and director of U.S. nationwide intelligence.