Gender and sexuality freedoms ' or rights, as they are more typically called ' are about bodily autonomy, diversity and inclusivity. Feminist and LGBTQ+ activists assert that every human being deserves respect, recognition and equal rights regardless of their gender or sexuality. When he first ascended to the presidency, image-makers used Putin's KGB background and penchant for physical fitness to frame him as a macho strongman who could reverse Russia's waning power and 'remasculinize' the country after a decade of supposed geopolitical flaccidity in the wake of the Soviet collapse. Putin likewise used homophobic terms to dismiss Georgia's Rose Revolution in 2003, responding to a reporter's question by saying: 'A rose revolution ' next they'll come up with a light blue one.' In Russian, 'light blue' or goluboi is slang for 'gay male.' However, even as the leader of a personalist dictatorship ' a regime in which there are few institutional limits on the leader's power ' Putin must...
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