{
  "id": 7388508,
  "title": "A Moscow court blocked three piracy websites for carrying the gay hockey romance ‘Heated Rivalry,’ citing ‘images promoting nontraditional sexual relations,’ but the only image was the book’s cover",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/a-moscow-court-blocked-three-piracy-websites-for-carrying-the-gay",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-14T19:48:36.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Meduza (English)",
    "slug": "meduza-english",
    "url": "https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/09/14/a-moscow-court-blocked-three-piracy-websites-for-carrying-the-gay-hockey-romance-heated-rivalry-citing-images-promoting-nontraditional-sexual-relations-but-the-only-image-was-the-book-s-cover"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A Moscow court has taken action against three piracy websites hosting the novel 'Heated Rivalry' by American author Rachel Reid. The court's decision, reported by Verstka, was based on the sites allegedly hosting images that promoted \"nontraditional sexual relations.\" However, the only image in question was the book's cover, depicting two hockey players facing off. The affected websites were BookPlaneta, Siteknig, and Libsafe. The Libsafe page has since been entirely removed. The court's ruling was predicated on the content of the sites, claiming they contained images that violated copyright laws. The novel, centered around a romantic relationship between two hockey players, was later adapted into a popular series. Russia's publishing industry has been struggling amid increased censorship, with publishers avoiding controversial topics and redacting certain content. Russia's Supreme Court even designated the \"international LGBT movement\" as extremist, making queer literature a risky category for publishers and booksellers. In 2025, Popcorn Books employees were charged with participating in extremist activities for distributing LGBT-themed books, including the bestseller 'Summer in a Pioneer Tie,' and received suspended sentences.",
  "summary": "Moscow’s Cheryomushkinsky District Court has prohibited access to three pages on pirate websites that made American author Rachel Reid’s novel Heated Rivalry available online. The news outlet Verstka found the ruling in the court’s online case database.",
  "key_points": [
    "Moscow court blocked three piracy websites",
    "Websites hosted 'Heated Rivalry' novel",
    "Court cited images promoting nontraditional relations"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}