Russian gay parental rights target of new bill

A Russian legislatorhas proposed a bill that could be used to deny gay parents custody over their children.

The draft bill, published on the State Duma (parliament) website on Thursday, would make the "fact of non-traditional sexual orientation" a basis for denying custody. Other grounds include alcoholism, drug use, and abuse.

The proposal comes in the wake of a bill banning homosexual "propaganda" among minors. Authors of the bill have justified it as a measure aimed at protecting children, and not suppressing the LGBT community.

Alexei Zhuravlev, the author of the new bill, referred to the earlier law, passed in June,and said that homosexual "propaganda" had to be banned not only in the public space "but also in the family."

Thelawsparked international outrage and led to calls for a boycott of the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi.

According to state-owned media outletRussia Today,Zhuravlev'sexplanatory note on the proposed amendmentsays the "non-traditional sexual orientation of one or both parents would become sufficient reason to deprive both of them of their parental rights."

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Russian-American journalist and gay-rights activist Masha Gessen told CBC Radio's Q over the summerthat she has decided toflee Russiafor the U.S. with her family.

She saidshe was awareofa bill in the workstargeting her same-sex parental rights and "directly threatening"her children.