Steve Jobs iPhone Memorial In The State University Of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics Yard
A man walks past a recently erected iPhone-shaped monument in memory of Apple's late co-founder Steve Jobs in the yard of the State University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics in St. Petersburg January 10, 2013. The 188cm (74 inch) -tall interactive glass and metal sculpture, designed by Gleb Tarasov, is a wifi hotspot and can withstand temperatures down to minus 30 degrees Celsius (minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit), according to local media. Reuters/Alexander Demianchuk

Russia has dismantled the giant iPhone memorial erected in the country in memory of late Apple founder Steve Jobs. All because Tim Cook, Jobs' direct successor, came out as gay.

Located in St. Petersburg, the 2-metre-high memorial, made in the shape of an iPhone, was brought down by ZEFS, the same company that erected it. In a statement, ZEFS said it demolished the monument because it has to abide to laws combating "gay propaganda." St. Petersburg is supposedly one of the more liberal cities in Russia.

"After Apple CEO Tim Cook publicly called for sodomy, the monument was taken down to abide to the Russian federal law protecting children from information promoting denial of traditional family values," ZEFS said in a statement. The company added the memorial was immediately torn down a day after Cook announced he is homosexual.

After Cook's announcement, St. Petersburg lawmaker Vitaly Milonov urged on Russia to ban the Apple CEO from traveling to Russia. In an interview with FlashNord, the Russian lawmaker said gay people could bring "the Ebola virus, AIDS, gonorrhea" to Russia. Milonov wants Cook banned "forever." Jobs died in 2011, and he was not gay.

In 2013, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law prohibiting "gay propaganda" so as to promote "traditional values" in his country. The law is specifically geared to protect those under 18 years old. Individual local violators could be fined an amount equivalent to AU$165. Foreigners likewise would be fined the same amount, plus a possible 15-day imprisonment and/or deportation. Companies likewise could be slapped with commensurate fines equivalent to AU$33,000 if found guilty of violating the law. Gay propaganda spread through the media or the Internet carries harsher punishment—up to 100,000 rubles (almost AU$3,000) for individuals and a million rubles (around AU$26,000) or face a 90-day suspension of activities for organisations.

Maxim Dolgopolov, ZEFS founder, in the same statement, likewise called on owners and users of Apple products to replace their gadgets with other brands, citing undue surveillance from American intelligence spies. He alleged Apple technology is being fronted by the U.S. against innocent individuals to monitor private communications worldwide.

In a Bloomberg Businessweek article that came out late October, Cook publicly admitted his "sexual orientation." He said he spoke up about his being gay to help others "struggling to come to terms with who he or she is, or bring comfort to anyone who feels alone, or inspire people to insist on their equality."