Russia's at it again with its far-right antics as a lawmaker has targeted Nike's #BeTrue collection.
According to International Business Times, a conservative city deputy named Vitaly Milonov says that Nike is trying to force its "perverted values" on teenagers. Milonov, who has earned a reputation for his anti-LGBT stance, claims that the rainbow-dipped collection violates a Russian law enacted in 2013 that bans "gay propaganda."
Besides the obvious absurdity going on here, the other thing is that the #BeTrue collection is currently only available in America, just as it has been since 2012. So how did Milonov catch wind of the gear?
IBT points to Nike's efforts to establish a footprint in the Russian market with an ad campaign by Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam and increased social media presence earlier this year. Whatever the case, it sounds like dude is probably fighting a losing battle here.
Nike's already fired back with the following statement in response:
"Nike does not discriminate based on sexual orientation, sex, nationality or age. Nike supports social and cultural diversity and seeks to deliver inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. In Russia, Nike does not request inclusion of any particular products or collections from its partners. The stores decide themselves which products they want to stock."
