Reporter Commandeers Russian News Network to Protest Anti-Gay Laws (Video)

James Kirchick decided to use his time on RT to voice his opinion on the controversial laws in that country

Foreign correspondent James Kirchick was booted from the RT Russian news network for voicing his opinion on the country's extreme anti-gay laws.

Booked to speak about the Bradley Manning sentencing, Kirchick took the opportunity to change the subject.

"Being here on a Kremlin-funded propaganda network, I'm gonna wear my gay pride suspenders, and I'm gonna speak out against the horrific anti-gay legislation that Vladimir Putin has signed into law, that was passed by the Russian Duma, that criminalizes homosexual propaganda [and] that effectively makes it illegal to talk about homosexuality in public," Kirchick said.

Also read: Miss Universe 'Deeply Concerned' by Russia's Anti-Gay Laws, Still Holding Pageant There

In June, Russia came under fire from global activists after enacting laws that prohibited adoption by gay people and made it legal to arrest persons suspected of being gay or spreading pro-gay propaganda.

Kirchick, who has written for the New York Daily News, The Daily Beast and is a columnist for Israeli news site, Haaretz.com, ignored attempts by the host to stop his tirade and return to the topic of Manning's sentencing.

"I'm not really interested in talking about Bradley Manning," he said. "I'm interested in talking about the horrific environment of homophobia in Russia right now. And to let the Russian gay people know that they have friends and allies and solidarity from people all over the world. And that we are not going to be silent in the face of this horrific repression that is perpetrated by your paymasters, by Vladimir Putin. That's what I'm here to talk about."

Also read: Andy Cohen Passed on Miss Universe Hosting Gig Over Russia's 'Discriminatory Policies'

Kirchick would later ask the host and reporters how they could sleep at night with the way the country abuses (sometimes kill) its journalists. The host answered, "You have to come over here and see for yourself." Of course, that may lead to Kirchick's arrest under the new laws.

Eventually, the network took his feed off the air.

Kirchick would later tweet that the news program ordered the taxi service "to drop me off on the side of the highway on way to Stockholm airport," but added later that it took him to the airport anyway.

See video: Stephen Colbert May Have to Save Winter Olympics Again … This Time From the Gays

Currently, Donald Trump's Miss Universe Organization is under fire from protestors for holding its upcoming pageant in Moscow. Additionally, there have been calls to boycott the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Watch the video below:

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