Russia's anti-gay laws have earned the condemnation of US President Barack Obama, who said he had ''no patience for countries that try to treat gays or lesbians or transgender persons in ways that intimidate them or are harmful to them''.

British actor Stephen Fry, meanwhile, has demanded that Russia be stripped of next year's Winter Olympics at Sochi, telling his six million Twitter followers that Russian President Vladimir Putin ''is making scapegoats of gay people, just as Hitler did of Jews''.

Artists building bridges: (From left) Richard Bell, Gosia Wlodarczak and Simryn Gill. Credit:Harrison Saragossi, Luis Enrique Ascui, Tamara Dean

But the persecution of gays and lesbians in Russia has not stopped Australia's arts funding body giving grants to five artists, worth $207,000, to show their work at the Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art next month.

An Australia Council spokeswoman said artists were able to exhibit their work where they saw fit, and the five artists were invited to show their work at the Moscow Biennale by its artistic director Catherine de Zegher.