In January 2013, the Russian Duma had decided to outlaw “homosexual propaganda” with the vote 388-1-1. Two weeks later, the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow has added a fig leaf to cover the genitals of the statue of Apollo by Petr Clodt atop the theatre.
However, this statue is also shown on the Russian 100-ruble note. As an eagle-eyed lawmaker of the Duma pointed out, Russia is “one of the few countries in the world to feature genitalia on its money”. Therefore, a bill has been prepared to ban this “inadvertently pornographic depiction of Apollo and his chariot”.
The ruble-note genitalia is about a millimeter in size and takes much squinting and dedication to make out, which is probably why the Central Bank was not sold on the idea.
At the markets and in the shops in Russia, the 100-ruble note is the most traded note, which means that most Russians unintentionally exchange homosexual propaganda every day.
