Flamboyant politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky gave a lesson to Moscow teens Wednesday on how to lead a proper sexual life, warning them against homosexuality and urging them to have children in the future.
Speaking before children aged 13 and 14 in a classroom of School No. 914 in western Moscow, Zhirinovsky told them that sex was a "natural desire" that they "should not be ashamed of."
He warned them that suppressing the sex instinct can lead to sexual perversions, including homosexuality, and to mental diseases.
"Boys must like girls, and girls must like boys and in the future you must create a family," he said.
"The whole point of these relations is that conception happens," Zhirinovsky said, walking around the classroom while gesturing in a gray suit and glasses. His statements fell in line with current state policies supporting an increase in the birth rate to reverse the natural population decline.
The topic of the lesson came as something of a surprise — it had been announced to the media as being focused on "the most relevant issues of recent times," which Zhirinovsky would "help the children to analyze correctly."
See more photos from Zhirinovsky's visit to the school.
But Zhirinovsky, 67, a State Duma deputy and the long-time leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, is known in part for his open attitude toward sex. In 1998, he co-authored the book "Azbuka Seksa" ("The Alphabet of Sex"), in which he makes outlandish, and possibly facetious, proposals, such as raising money for the Russian government by selling sex tours to foreigners. In 2005, he spoke in favor of legalizing prostitution, and he once spoke on stage at an event while embracing two topless models.
On Wednesday, Zhirinovsky attributed sexual "perversions" to the "lack of opportunity to lead a normal family life."
"All but millions have come out into the streets lately … they are either for or against same-sex love," Zhirinovsky told about 40 children in the presence of several teachers and three TV cameras.
Earlier this month, gay rights activists tried to stage unauthorized rallies in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tbilisi and Kiev, all of which ended in clashes between gay rights advocates and conservative activists, and in detentions by police.
Also this month, gay rights activists in the Moldovan capital Chisinau held an authorized rally, several days ahead of a local law coming into force that protects the rights of gays and lesbians.
On a practical note, Zhirinovsky urged the teenagers to be "moderate" in their sex life and not to start it too early.
"Remember that your aim in life is harmony: neither left, nor right, neither too much, nor too little," Zhirinovsky said.
Some children giggled as Zhirinovsky spoke, while others listened attentively. Some simply looked bored.
One girl whispered to a Moscow Times reporter: "This may be interesting to little kids."
Another student, Viktoria Golubyatnikova, 14, told the reporter after the lesson that she did not agree with Zhirinovsky that "humans need tears only for washing their eyes," saying she thought they were necessary to express emotions.
Her classmate, Darya Mikheyeva, said she "simply had fun" at the lesson.
"Maybe someone should talk more about it [sex] with them [the children]," mathematics teacher Yelena Dolgaya said.
Contact the author at n.krainova@imedia.ru