Russia takes down a monument honoring Steve Jobs because Tim Cook is gay
Tim Cook’s decision last week to publicly come out apparently doesn’t mesh with Russia’s archaic anti-gay laws. As such, a monument to Steve Jobs has come down in St. Petersburg, according to Radio Free Europe.
First erected on the grounds of an IT university in January 2013, the monument features an interactive screen with photos, videos, and text about the late Apple co-founder. It was designed by local native Gleb Tarasov and was named “Sunny QR Code.”
The removal of the sculpture was to comply with a Russian law that bans the spreading of ““propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations” among minors.
Soon after Cook’s announcement, St. Petersburg anti-gay activist Vitaly Milonov had some choice words for the Apple CEO:
As Cult of Mac first noted:
Mr. Milonov is calling for a lifetime travel ban on Cook, who suggested that the Apple CEO could bring “the Ebola virus, AIDS [and] gonorrhea” to Russia. (Those last two diseases seem like an odd thing for Mr. Milonov to single out. Even if Tim Cook did have AIDs and gonorrhea — which obviously he doesn’t — Russia is already overrun with AIDs and gonorrhea cases.)
““What could he bring us? The Ebola virus, AIDS, gonorrhea? They all have unseemly ties over there,” Mr Milonov told the FlashNord website. “Ban him for life.”
What year is this again, Russia?
See also: The AppAdvice week in review: Tim Cook’s big announcement, the Apple Watch and more, and Apple CEO Tim Cook talks civil rights issues at Alabama Academy of Honor induction.
