In an essay published Thursday by Bloomberg Businessweek, Apple CEO Tim Cook told the world that he’s gay.

“While I have never denied my sexuality, I haven’t publicly acknowledged it either, until now,” Cook wrote. “So let me be clear: I’m proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me.”

Shortly after the announcement,  St. Petersburg city council member Vitaly Milonov told FlashNord that he thinks Cook should be “banned” from entering Russia because of his sexuality.

“What could he bring us? The Ebola virus, Aids, gonorrhea?” Milonov told the website, according to the Irish Independent. “They all have unseemly ties over there. Ban him for life.”

According to CNN, Russia passed a law shortly before hosting the 2014 Sochi Olympics that outlawed promoting gay rights to children. In a speech at the Palais Des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, President Barack Obama chided Russia for its anti-gay rights law, “instead of targeting our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters, we can use our laws to protect their rights.”