Russian sexologists to target homosexuality, other 'disorders' under new rules

FILE PHOTO: Law enforcement officers block participants of the LGBT community rally "X St.Petersburg Pride" in central Saint Petersburg, Russia August 3, 2019. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov/File Photo

(Reuters) - Russian clinics will soon be staffed with sexologists to help patients "overcome" homosexuality and various sexual "mental disorders", a health ministry order said, in the latest Kremlin attack on what it calls "non-traditional lifestyles."

The order, which takes effect on July 1, comes amid a clampdown on LGBT rights, which President Vladimir Putin has sought to portray as evidence of moral decay in Western countries and from which Russia must be protected.