Russian lawmakers propose to ban teenage subculture rock music styles such as emo and goth from the country's schools.
Russia's State Duma is currently considering a package of laws aimed at protecting the morality of its children and preventing youth suicide and alcoholism.
Together with proposals to combat child alcoholism and pornography, the policy project outlines a raft of draconian measures such as a 10 pm curfew for all school-age children and a ban on tattoos and body-piercings.
Under the new measures, schools would be prohibited from celebrating Western holidays like Halloween and Valentine's Day, which are deemed inappropriate to "Russian culture." Toys in the shape of monsters or skeletons would be banned as "provoking aggression."
The proposal also sets its sights on teenage subcultures such as emo, a style of hardcore punk, and goth, which lawmakers accuse of "cultivating bisexuality." Both styles, the legislation implies, are social scourges on a par with the skinhead movement, and must be eliminated from the social landscape.
