Russian President Putin's ultimate insult on homosexuals.

Russian president says homosexuals will be welcome at Winter Olympics ... so long as they 'leave the children alone'

Russian President Vladimir Putin says gays should feel welcome at the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, but they must 'leave the children in peace'.
Mr Putin told volunteers today that gays visiting Sochi 'can feel calm and at ease,' and vowed that there would be no discrimination at the games.
But he emphasised that, according to a law banning homosexual 'propaganda' among minors, gays cannot express their views on gay rights issues to anyone under age.
Mr Putin and other politicians have defended the June propaganda law as a protection of child rights, but critics believe that the law discriminates against sexual minorities.

Last week the Orthodox Church in Russia demanded a national referendum on criminalising gay relationships in a move certain to deepen conflict with the West.  
The demand comes less than a month before the start of the Winter Olympics in Sochi when a number of participants and visitors are expected to stage protests against laws banning the promotion of homosexuality to young people. 

The spokesman for the church - which is seen as close to Putin - said Russia should not be dictated to by liberal Western values, and urged a referendum on a return to a Soviet law enacted by Stalin which criminalised homosexuality.

'There is no question that society should discuss this issue since we live in a democracy,' said Vsevolod Chaplin.   

'For this reason, it is precisely the majority of our people and not some outside powers that should decide what should be a criminal offence and what should not.'  'I am convinced that such sexual contacts should be completely excluded from the life of our society.
'If we manage to do this through moral pressure, all the better.
He urged in an interview with pro-Kremlin Izvestia website:  'I am convinced that such sexual contacts should be completely excluded from the life of our society.
'If we manage to do this through moral pressure, all the better.'

'But if we need to revert to assistance from the law, then let us ask the people if they are ready for this.'
Chaplin is seen as a powerful figure within the church and his call has been echoed by MPs.
The Kremlin did not immediately respond.  
'If you stage a referendum in Russia, 90 percent would back both the death penalty and the idea of shooting all homosexuals,' said gay pride parade organiser Eduard Murzin.  
'By discriminating against minorities, the authorities want to deflect attention away from other problems.'
Clergyman Chaplin recently accused Western governments of being out of touch with values elsewhere in the world. 
'Western civilization still cannot realize that its model of social order is shared by the minority of people in the world,' he said.