Not surprisingly, Vitaly Milonov, the author of the St. Petersburg, Russia law banning gay propaganda, on which the federal law is based, dislikes outspoken British actor Stephen Fry.
"For me Stephen Fry is a bringer of evil, as he expresses ideas which are evil," Milonov told AFP in an interview in Saint Petersburg.
Milonov and Fry became arch enemies after the two men held a face-to-face meeting in Saint Petersburg in March and have traded insults through the media ever since. Fry is an implacable critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who he once memorably said looked like the Dobby the House Elf from the Harry Potter books.
Despite the outcry sparked by the adoption of the law both in Saint Petersburg and nationwide, Milonov sees no harm in what he describes as "preventative" legislation.
"It's a declaration of our values, our response to the challenges of the present time….Thank God that we have Putin, who defends the basic interests of Russia, for defending its values…[Russia] needs to resist the wave of degradation that has seized the Western world."
"I do not know why we have to apologise in front of Westerners. The preaching tone that they adopted in this area does not suit us."
Milonov has urged Putin to enforce the gay ban during the upcoming Sochi Olympic Games. He is also the lawmaker who targeted Lady Gaga and Madonna with visa investigations.
