On Thursday, September 19, a group of Russian LGBT activists held an unsanctioned rally outside the building of Russian Parliament, offering “psychiatric help” to lawmakers over the legislators’ latest initiatives targeting the LGBT community.

      Five LGBT activists dressed in blue medical gowns stood outside the building of the State Duma – the lower house of parliament – holding a poster that read “Psychiatric Help for State Duma Deputies,” according to a photo posted on the GayRussia news website.

      The protest’s organizer, gay rights activist Alexei Davydov, said that “the ideas of certain State Duma lawmakers that have been turned into laws are not only lacking in logic and grounds; they cast doubt on the state of mind of those deputies,” and suggested that the legislators seek help.

      The activist mentions a controversial and vaguely worded law which bans the promotion of "non-traditional sexual relationships" to minors, making it an offense punishable with hefty fines. The law has been widely criticized in Russia and abroad as a clampdown on the rights of the LGBT community in Russia. Last month it was followed by another questionable initiative - to introduce ban on gay blood donors.