To oppose “gay fever,” Russia’s ruling party has created what they’re calling a “flag for straights.”
The flag, which was made by the United Russia party, was unveiled in Moscow Wednesday, Russia Today reports. The flag depicts a man and a woman holding hands with three children, and under the image is the hashtag #realfamily in Russian.
Aleksey Lisovenko, deputy head of United Russia’s Moscow organization, said the flag was created to counter the popular LGBTQ rainbow flag. “This is our answer to same sex marriages, this mockery of the very concept of family,” he said to Russian newspaper Izvestia, according to Russia Today. “We must prevent gay fever in our country and support traditional values.”
Opponents of the flag have already begun altering it on social media, coloring the figures with rainbow colors or changing the parents to same sex couples.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Where Trump 2.0 Will Differ From 1.0
- How Elon Musk Became a Kingmaker
- The Power—And Limits—of Peer Support
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- Column: If Optimism Feels Ridiculous Now, Try Hope
- The Future of Climate Action Is Trade Policy
- FX’s Say Nothing Is the Must-Watch Political Thriller of 2024
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
Write to Tessa Berenson Rogers at tessa.Rogers@time.com