Anti-LGBT activists want singer's passport revoked

Natalia Oreiro is being accused of promoting non-traditional values in violation of the nation's laws

Uruguayan actress and singer Natalia Oreiro should be deprived of Russian citizenship for promoting LGBTQ values in violation of the country's legislation, activists have insisted.

Earlier this week, the human rights group Radetel from Novosibirsk in central Russia, filed a complaint with the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office and the Interior Ministry over the behavior of the Latin American TV and movie star.

Oreiro, who is beloved in Russia for her role in the 1998-1999 Argentinean soap opera ‘Wild Angel’ (Muneca Brava), obtained a Russian passport in 2021, following in the footsteps of other foreign celebrities like actors Steven Seagal and Gerard Depardieu, boxer Roy Jones Jr. and MMA fighter Jeff Monson.

At the time, the actress said that she was not planning to live in Russia permanently, but suggested in one interview that she could own a country house there when she becomes a grandmother. She also holds Uruguayan and Spanish citizenship.

During her career, Oreiro starred in dozens of Spanish-language TV shows and movies, including ‘I’m Gilda,’ ‘Super Crazy’ (Re Loca) and ‘Clandestine Childhood’ (Infancia Clandestina). As a singer, the 45-year-old sold more than 10 million records worldwide, being nominated for the Latin Grammy Awards and other prizes.

In its complaint, Radetel stressed that Oreiro took part in an LGBTQ event outside the Argentine parliament in Buenos Aires in early November and “performed topless” on stage.

The actress has been “consciously and deliberately” promoting non-traditional values for many years, they claimed, describing Oreiro as “one of the main ‘gay-icons’ of Latin America.” The complaint also listed other examples of Oreiro supporting the LGBTQ agenda, including taking part in a naked photo-shoot in 2022, while only sporting rainbow-colored high boots.

Becoming a naturalized Russian citizen requires swearing an oath to comply with the country’s constitution and laws, and to respect Russia’s culture, history and traditions, the activist group said. “Committing public actions aimed at promoting non-traditional relationships violates the provisions of the Russian Constitution and laws,” it insisted.

The activists said that Oreiro “knowingly gave a false oath” when she got her Russian passport, which makes them “believe that there are grounds for terminating her Russian citizenship.”

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Russia initially banned ‘LGBTQ propaganda’ aimed at minors in 2013. Last December, President Vladimir Putin signed another law introducing hefty fines for anyone found guilty of promoting ‘non-traditional sexual relations’, pedophilia, and transgenderism among minors and adults through books, cinema, the media, or online publications.