Russia ensures never-ending supply of Photoshops of Putin made up in 'nonstandard sexual orientation'

Brett T. | 9:35 PM on April 12, 2017

We’d missed the news last week that it’s now illegal in Russia to share a popular Internet meme showing President Vladimir Putin “with eyes and lips made up” and thus implying “the supposed nonstandard sexual orientation of the president of the Russian Federation.”

It’s now illegal in Russia to share an image of Putin as a gay clown https://t.co/trihoOp6nt

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) April 5, 2017

Of course it is. https://t.co/AcgOVQPIy7

— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) April 13, 2017

Because he's gay or because he's a clown? Or both?

— Mean Girls (@MeanGirls2u) April 5, 2017

But a heterosexual clown is OK, right?

— Cait ? (@cait_harding) April 5, 2017

So much for my Putin birthday clown business. The kids will be so disappointed.

— Good Sir SnarkyTweet (@lando_thedead) April 5, 2017

Thankfully, Chelsea Clinton drew our attention to the story, although we take issue with the Washington Post’s assumption that the image shows Putin as a gay clown; he could just as well be a straight drag queen.

The thing is, as soon as we’d read that an image of Putin as a clown had been banned, we couldn’t help but remember the time a chapter of the NAACP called for the Secret Service and Department of Justice to investigate a rodeo clown in an Obama mask at the Missouri State Fair. For all anyone knew, it could have been a gay rodeo clown. The fair shut down the act before the government could, however.

Fortunately, press freedom is alive and well in the U.S., and the people are free to publish and share all the photos they want of Donald Trump as a clown or Barack Obama sporting a halo and shooting rainbows from his palms.

In any case, with U.S.-Russian relations reaching a new low, it would really help if everyone in the U.S. could pitch in to keep Putin Photoshops from circulating.