Asked by children about homosexuality: Russian police investigate gay talk-guest

"How old were you when you realized that you were gay?" A little boy asks. And a girl in a red dress wants to know, "Have you ever loved a girl?" In Russia, a gay man faces a long prison sentence for talking to children in an Internet video and answering questions about his homosexuality.

The man named Maxim and a woman who produced the video are investigating police for sexual assault on children, the British BBC reported. According to the report, there is "evidence of a depraved nature" of the actors in a police communication to the suspects. The two would have wanted to encourage the children to homosexuality. Russian media had already reported on the case in early November. The organization Human Rights Watch also drew attention to Maxim.

In Russia, "promoting" homosexuality is criminalized. In addition, gays and lesbians are not allowed to show their love publicly - kissing or holding hands is prohibited. Again and again, there are brutal attacks against homosexuals. In a survey conducted by the state opinion research institute WZIOM in 2015, 80 percent of respondents rejected same-sex marriage.

Producer of the video has fled Russia

He has been worried about his life since the video and the allegations became public, Maxim said. "Many have told me to be impaled and kill people like me," the young man said. "But why should I be killed because I love someone?"

Because of the investigation, he had already had to break contact with his family and his loved ones. "And I do not think I'll be able to live in Russia any longer."

The producer of the affected video series "Real Talk" is a well-known entertainment vlogger in Russia. When the police began investigating, she immediately left the country. "I completely collapsed," said the young woman. "I've been prepared to say goodbye to my life and freedom, and may end up imprisoning for 12 to 20 years."

"You have to talk to children"

According to its makers, the video should bring children diversity and tolerance closer. "For me, this was a very important project because I have always been discriminated against since my schooldays - I've always been teased - at school, at university, in life in general," Maxim said. "And for me it was extremely important to show that I'm just a normal person."

The producer added that they did not want to hurt anyone with the video - quite the contrary. "Children ask difficult questions, the questions are strange, sometimes provocative," she said. "The idea was that you have to talk to children in order to teach them something, to explain to them that people are different."