Apple accused of "making gay": first hearing in Moscow

Apple is accused in Russia of encouraging … homosexuality. A Moscow court on Thursday is considering a civil complaint by a Russian national against the American giant that he accuses of being responsible for his homosexuality. He claims one million rubles in damages (€ 14,000).

This apparently crazy affair is taking place in a country that, since 2013, has been punishing "propaganda" among minors of "non-traditional ways of life". According to LGBT rights organizations, this legislation has curbed any form of militancy.

69 Gaycoins instead of bitcoins

The plaintiff, identified by the court by his only family name, Razumilov, is anxious to protect his identity. In his complaint, he claims to have downloaded a cryptocurrency application on the Apple Store, the online store of Apple dedicated to downloadable applications on smartphones. In the process, he assured to have received a transfer of 69 GayCoins instead of the bitcoins ordered, the most famous cryptomnnnaie. The transfer was accompanied by a message in English saying "Do not judge until you have tried".

"I thought, indeed, how to judge something without trying," says Razumilov in the complaint. "And I decided to try homosexual relations. Two months later, I am immersed in an intimate relationship with someone of my sex and I can not go back.

"In Russia, these things are complicated"

His lawyer, Sapijat Gousnieva, assures that he has left a stable relationship with a woman. "This has dealt a blow to his reputation because he does not know how to tell his parents, and he knows he will not be understood. We live in Russia after all, so these things are complicated. "

Sapijat Gousnieva considers that the complaint is justified because "Apple has authorized this company (putting Gaycoins online) to work with them. They let people download the app. They will have to assume. In particular, she wishes to obtain from Apple the details of the company providing the Gaycoins in order to lodge a complaint against it.

NGOs (non-governmental organizations) defending LGBT rights (lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans) consider that Russia is pursuing a homophobic policy with its law against "gay propaganda". Homosexuality was considered a crime until 1993 and a mental illness until 1999. Moscow was also sentenced by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in July for refusing to register three associations defending LGBT people.

In 2016, the lawyer had already attacked an American giant, defending a student who had filed a complaint against McDonald's after having the cheek pierced by a fishbone while eating a dish bought in fast food.