I agree with you, but to be fair, the Chechens who choose to leave their province would also face harsh treatment elsewhere in Russia, which, while it is more tolerant of homosexuality, remains largely very conservative. And there's no love lost there for the Chechens in general, whether they are gay or not. They do not assimilate well in non-Chechen communities, and tend to gravitate towards their own (a distinctive feature of the clan society they grow up in). And that is yet another thing not mentioned in the article. I think they might represent a radicalization time-bomb due to inability to integrate, and thus a security risk to Canada later on.