Russia could ban same-sex emoji under 'gay propaganda' laws; Guardian, 8/1/15

Chris Johnston, Guardian; Russia could ban same-sex emoji under 'gay propaganda' laws:

"Not content with making the country one of the most homophobic places on the planet, Russian authorities are now taking aim at “gay emojis”.

According to Izvestia newspaper, the country’s media regulator could ban the characters from social media if an investigation finds they contravene laws intended to prevent gay “propaganda”.

The investigation was started following a complaint made by Russian senator Mikhail Marchenko of the far-right Liberal Democratic Party.

He claims that emojis depicting same-sex couples violate a controversial 2013 law that prohibits the “promotion” of non-heterosexual relationships."