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U.S. Lawmakers Concerned About Russia's Gay Law


Russian President Vladimir Putin holding the Olympic flame during a ceremony in Moscow on October 6
Some 40 members of the U.S. Congress have sent a letter to the United States Olympic Committee asking for assurances about the treatment and safety of U.S. athletes and spectators at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

The letter said lawmakers are concerned about what it called "Russia’s anti-lesbian, -gay, -bisexual, and -transgender law."

Citing a spate of attacks on homosexuals in Russia, the letter said the lawmakers are worried about the safety of people who may disagree with the Russian law.

Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Republican from Florida, called Russia’s treatment of gays "nothing short of reprehensible."

READ NEXT: Gay-Rights Activists Confront Corporations On Sochi Olympic Sponsorship

The Russian law bans the spread of what it calls homosexual propaganda to minors.

Critics say it bars gay-rights rallies and could be used to prosecute anyone voicing support for homosexuals.
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