Russian TV Channel Removes 'LGBT' Rainbow From K-Pop Music Video

A popular Russian television channel removed the rainbow featured in a K-pop music video over concerns that it could violate the country's laws against “LGBT propaganda,” Russian media reported.

TNT Music, which runs a chart show dedicated to South Korean pop music, has already been fined for violating Russia's “LGBT propaganda” laws with previous broadcasts of foreign-made music videos. 

But when it recently aired the video for the boy band Seventeen's hit song “God of Music,” the channel took no chances and transformed a rainbow featured in the original video into a gray cloud. 

TNT Music appears to have erred on the side of caution after a Moscow court fined its owner Fonbet TV 1 million rubles ($10,800) in July for “LGBT propaganda” when it aired Finnish singer Alma’s music video for the song “Summer Really Hurt Us.”

The channel faces another fine of up to 16 million rubles ($174,000) on four administrative charges of spreading “LGBT propaganda” among minors, according to Russian state media. 

In 2013, Russia banned “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations” toward minors.

Last year, President Vladimir Putin expanded the ban to outlaw public displays of non-traditional relationships and lifestyles to people of any age, not just minors.