Russia’s anti-LGBT crackdown is punishing homophobes, too. Mediazona documents five cases of people penalized for posts that weren’t meant to promote LGBTQ rights.
Nearly three years ago, Russia’s Supreme Court banned the nonexistent “international LGBT movement” as extremist. Since then, “LGBT extremism” has become grounds for at least 14 criminal investigations and hundreds of citations for administrative offenses. Because the system often doesn’t look into the context in which a rainbow flag appears on social media, even homophobes end up being targeted.…
In Russia, a crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights has inadvertently targeted homophobes as well. Mediazona, a Russian media monitoring organization, has documented five cases of individuals being penalized for posts that were not meant to promote LGBTQ+ rights. The Supreme Court banned the "international LGBT movement" as extremist in 2020, leading to at least 14 criminal investigations and hundreds of administrative citations.
The laws now ban the promotion of "nontraditional sexual relationships," "pedophilia," and information that could make minors want to change their sex.
Despite the context often not being considered, even homophobes find themselves on the receiving end of these laws. A 2013 law banned the promotion of "nontraditional sexual relationships" to minors, and in 2022, the ban was extended to all ages. Amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses prohibit "promotion of pedophilia" and the distribution of information that could lead minors to change their sex.
One retiree from Kurgan, Vera Makeyeva, was fined 1,500 rubles for reposting homophobic content featuring a rainbow flag, even though she welcomed the ban on the "LGBT movement." Pyotr Voronin was jailed for one day for an image of presidents of Ukraine and France with a rainbow flag, which he intended as a mockery. Vladimir Sugakov, a retiree from Kemerovo, was fined 100,000 rubles for homophobic posts, including a Pride event slideshow, which he claimed was critical of the LGBTQ community.
In Moscow, a man posted a video titled "Nazi Initiation," which led to a 100,000-ruble fine. The video showed a man shaving his head, dressing like a neo-Nazi, and having sex with two men, ending with a swastika and a call to join the ranks. The court saw this as "LGBT propaganda," not humor. Father Grigory, a Polish Catholic priest in Kirov, was fined 1,000 rubles for adding a rainbow flag to a post criticizing a Catholic archbishop for supporting the LGBTQ community.
This led to the revocation of his Russian residence permit and a ban on re-entry. After 24 years in Russia, Father Grigory returned to Poland, where he now criticizes the "rainbow church."
Written by urgent.news from Meduza (English)'s reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
