Russian Court Throws Out Suit Against Madonna

A Russian judge yesterday dismissed a lawsuit against Madonna by a group of anti-gay activists who sought $10.5 million for "moral damage" they said the pop star caused with her support of the city's LGBT community during an August concert there, The Associated Press reports.

St. Petersburg passed a law earlier this year that forbids promoting homosexuality to minors. Madonna protested the measure during a performance August 9th, when she handed out pink bracelets to attendees and revealed the words "No Fear" written on her back.

Plaintiffs attempted to prove their case by submitting evidence about gay culture culled from Wikipedia. "We aren't against homosexual people, but we are against the propaganda of perversion among minors," one of the plaintiffs, Darya Dedova, told the court. "We want to defend the values of a traditional family, which are currently in crisis in this country. Madonna violated our laws and she should be punished."

The judge was unconvinced, and threw out the suit when plaintiffs were unable to persuade him that their case was more than arbitrary. One plaintiffs' group, the Union of Russian Citizens, said it plans to appeal.
A spokeswoman for Madonna said the singer would have no comment.