When Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin called trans people ‘transformers’ a Russian LGBTI organization decided to school him.

Putin went head to head with award-winning musician Elton John over LGBTI issues at the recent G20 summit.

He made the gaffe when he responded to John’s criticism of Russia’s appalling LGBTI rights record.

‘They’ve thought up six or five genders – transformers, trans… I don’t even understand what it is myself,’ he said at a press conference at the summit.

‘They need to stop violently imposing their point of view on others.’

So the country’s leading advocacy organization, the Russian LGBT Network, decided to educate Putin and his United Party members.

The Network sent a range of informative brochures to the party offices. It also sent them to Alexander Yakubovsky, a member of the General Council of United Russia.

Yakubovsky was responsible for establishing a human rights center for the party.

It wanted to educate the party because Putin’s ‘statements cast a shadow on any party relationship and human rights activities’.

‘The majority of human rights organizations and human rights activists actively working in Russia have repeatedly expressed and support the agenda of protecting the rights of LGBT people,’ said Russian LGBT Network’s Svetlana Zakharova.

‘Counseling citizens on violations of their rights based on sexual orientation or gender identity is an important part of the work of a human rights advocate.

‘Thus, in 2018, 245 people turned to the Russian LGBT network for legal assistance, the hotline was called 2050 times, 629 people asked for psychological help.’