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This is the British actress Tilda Swinton, she is in Russia supporting gay rights, many celebrities have done this recently, especially due to the upcoming Olympics.  This is because it seems to be very few countries still that discriminate against the gay community, whereas many countries have came to accept it, and have hate crime laws to stop any further discrimination that may arise. This act by Tilda was named "Gay propoganda" by the president of Russia. 


This text is a picture of a woman holding the gay flag in Russia with police following closely behind.
This is so significant as in Russia it is against the law to publicly display same sex relationships.
This is part of their culture, it is not widely accepted to be gay, and there are rules to when and if you can show your affection to the same sex. In this relationship the police and higher authority hold the power, but this woman is not only representing the gay community in Russia, she is supporting all gay rights across the globe.

Being gay is part of your identity, it makes you who you are, it can influence the way you express yourself among other things. By this woman holding the gay flag it communicates to us the pride she holds to be gay or the support that she wants to share with others. It is so significant as it shows a clear set of codes- you aren't supposed to show support especially in front of the palace and the police.