In 1985, I was a young, fired-up, high-speed low-drag soldier. I also had a three-year-old daughter who loved the "Care Bears." She never missed an episode of the television show, and she had an extensive collection of "Care Bears" toys. That summer, she wanted to go see the "Care Bears" movie, but her mother wasn't available to take her. So I put on a jacket with a high collar, pulled a patrol cap down low over my eyes, and took my little girl to see the "Care Bears" on the big screen. The movie, like the television show, was shiny, colorful, and sparkly - just the thing to appeal to little girls, which it certainly did.
A good dad does things like that for his little girls; don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise.
We raised four daughters. They were all into things that were shiny, colorful, and sparkly: The "Care Bears," "My Little Pony," "Bratz," "Barney the Dinosaur," and so on.
I don't remember any LGBTQ propaganda on any of those (although Jerry Falwell was redeemed when the Teletubbies went "woke"). Still, meanwhile, in Russia, the government has canceled a "My Little Pony" convention, claiming that it was spreading LGBTQ propaganda.
Russian federal agents have allegedly shut down a "My Little Pony" convention in Moscow after it was deemed to be “LGBT propaganda” by the government.
According to the Russian outlet The Insider, the raid was conducted to break up, "Mi Amore Fest." The event was organized by fans of the "My Little Pony" series.Federal agents in Moscow have raided and ended a My Little Pony convention on the grounds that it constituted "gay propaganda." Even painting the animal's mane in the Russian tricolor couldn't save this one. https://t.co/KIv00sKoeN pic.twitter.com/p68hiFCmWm
— Kevin Rothrock (@KevinRothrock) February 17, 2024The officials deemed it to be part of “LGBT propaganda.”
Participants at the event in a message board, “Apparently, you won’t be able to get to the festival anymore. While we were drinking coffee, a squad arrived and dispersed everyone. They wrote a statement for LGBT propaganda. Well, let's go home."
Mi Amore Fest is allegedly dedicated to furry cosplay, according to The Insider's report.
Now, bear in mind that my knowledge of "My Little Pony" is about 40 years out of date. At that time, when our second daughter was big into "My Little Pony." She never missed an episode of their television show, and she had an extensive collection of "My Little Pony" toys. I don't remember there being anything on the television program about LGBTQ+ issues; the show seemed to push friendship more than anything else. With that in mind, this cancellation seems like a bit of a reach on the part of the Russian government, overbearing though it may be.
See Related: If the LGBT Activists Want More Representation in Video Games Then I Have a Demand of My Own
American LGBTQ+ People Don't Know How Good They Have It. They Should Try Zimbabwe.
This is part of the larger Russian crackdown on LGBTQ people.
The Supreme Court of Russia declared that the “international public movement of LGBT people” was extremist and banned it from the territory.
After this change, the Russian media service Kinopoisk put the label of “18+” on the children’s television show because there is a character with the name “Rainbow.”
But really, "My Little Pony?" Maybe some people are dressing up in stupid costumes; I did a little reading on the topic and learned that "Bronies" are a thing.
Yes, rainbows have been co-opted by the LGBTQ+ movement. But rainbows are also used to market cute stuff to little kids and have been probably since there have been little kids and rainbows. But there's a larger issue at stake.
Whatever one thinks of the LGBTQ+ activists - and as anyone who has read my work on the topic knows, I'm not a fan of the fringe people who want "Drag Queen Story Hours" and chemical castration in minors - the Russian government is clamping down on what appears to be nothing worse than people wearing silly costumes. If wearing silly costumes was a threat to public order, this nation would never have survived the first ComicCon.
Russia is overreacting here - as totalitarian states do - and squashing any semblance of free speech the Russian people have. I'm a bit of an absolutist when it comes to human rights. Take the essential elements guaranteed (not granted!) by our Bill of Rights. I think that everyone - every human, everywhere on the planet - has those rights by dint of humanity. As they are not granted by the government but rather acknowledged as fundamental, they must then apply to everyone or they apply to no one - and other governments are illegitimate in denying those rights. The Russian government, for instance, is improperly denying freedom of expression to its citizens - even if that expression means dressing up in stupid costumes.
