Russian President Putin gave an interview at the G-20 meeting in which he asserted that liberalism had “outlived its purpose”. Implicitly, Putin was arguing that personal freedom was not a human right. According to Time:
“Putin told the Financial Times that liberal governments have ‘pursued a mindless multiculturalism’ by embracing sexual diversity, among other things. Echoing views expressed by other right-wing populists, such as Poland’s Law and Justice leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski and Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Putin said ‘[LGBTQ persons] must not be allowed to overshadow the culture, traditions and traditional family values of millions of people making up the core population.’
With regards to Russia’s own LGBTQ rights record, Putin told the newspaper that ‘we have no problem with LGBTQ persons. God forbid, let them live as they wish … But some things do appear excessive to us. They claim now that children can play five or six gender roles.’”
Putin’s description of LGBTQ rights does not correspond with the anti-gay legislation which has been passed during his tenure as Russian leader. Moreover, the attack on liberalism is more generally an endorsement of authoritarian rule, one consistent with the rise of ethnic and racial nationalism that is being revived in many parts of the world. For his part, US President Trump seems to have missed the point of Putin’s remarks.
World Politics News 
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