Madonna May Be Fined Following Gay Rights Speech in Russia

Kevin Mazur/WireImageAt the St. Petersburg, Russia stop on her MDNA  tour Thursday night, Madonna delivered a passionate speech about gay rights, but in the process, she may also have broken the law.

Madonna fulfilled a promise to speak out on the issue after the city in March banned what they call the "propagation of homosexuality" and "promotion of gay lifestyles." Despite protests and amid threats of violence, Madonna told concertgoers that it was wrong to use religion to justify discrimination.

"It's in every holy book: love thy neighbor as thyself, okay? So, you cannot use religion to treat other people badly. You cannot use God's name to treat other people badly," Madonna said to cheers. "We all deserve love."

"The gay community and gay people here, and all around the world, have the same rights, to be treated with dignity, with respect, with tolerance, with compassion, with love," Madge told the crowd of about 25,000.

The star also told the crowd, "If you're with me, I want to see your pink armbands!"   Prior to the show, wristbands had been distributed to fans who wanted to show their support for the gay community.

However, the Moscow Times reports that as a result of Madonna's speech, local deputy Vladimir Milonov now wants her to "be brought to justice."  Milonov was the man behind the anti-gay bill, which fines violators up to 500,000 rubles or $15,700. The bill has drawn harsh criticism from the West and from human rights organizations around the world.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio