Can anyone clue me in as to why (ex-)soviet regions have such an adamant opposition to anything other than heterosexuality? I'm an odd case I guess since I'm a

Can anyone clue me in as to why (ex-)soviet regions have such an adamant opposition to anything other than heterosexuality? I'm an odd case I guess since I'm an American who is both gay and deeply interested in "all things" Russian. (My boyfriend is even more so since he's currently studying in Rostov). I had the opportunity to visit Tallinn and St. Petersburg (along with Helsinki and Stockholm) last year and the perceivable difference in atmospheres was quite significant between cities. I suppose it's difficult to describe, but the western cities (like Tallinn) felt so much more easy-going and "happy" compared to St. Petersburg (even though every Russian I conversed with was deeply proud of their city). I'm sure I subconsciously projected my own biases onto the cities before I visited them, but I also feel as if there's objective credibility to what I observed (i.e. that you can "get a solid feel/understanding" of the city just by being there). I just don't know why eastern countries like Russia have always felt so hostile towards same-sex individuals. Thoughts? Comments?