Russia Continues LGBTQ+ Crackdown With Imprisonment, Book Bannings
Image: Sources: Nkrita (CC BY-SA 4.0), Danila Morozov from Higher School of Economics, Human Rights watch
Following a full ban of 鈥楲GBT activism鈥� last year and a number of imprisonments, Russia is continuing to crack down on its anti-LGBTQIA+ agenda with more people thrown in jail and banning of queer literature.
Danila Morozov, a student at Russia鈥檚 Higher School of Economics and a member of Youth Parliament, ($825AUD) for 鈥榙isplaying LGBT symbols鈥� and posts ‘discrediting the Russian army鈥� through a Telegram channel. 听
Almost simultaneously, the Russian state has that contain LGBTQIA+ content. The Russian Book Union has set up a council to identify books that constitute propaganda which advocates for 鈥渘on-traditional sexual relationships.鈥�
that A Home at the End of the World by Michael Cunningham, Giovanni鈥檚 Room by James Baldwin and Heritage by Vladimir Sorokin are three of the books given the ban, with books now facing the same level of censorship as other media in Russia.听听
Russia鈥檚 first laws against 鈥榞ay propaganda鈥� were passed in 2013, but were expanded in 2022 supposedly to protect children from this so-called threat. It’s become increasingly common for politicians in the country to think of the LGBTQIA+ “movement” as part of a hybrid war being waged by Western countries on Russia.听听
Though depictions of same-sex relationships in advertisements, films, video games and books were banned in 2022, the Supreme Court鈥檚 effectual banning of all LGBTQIA+ activism last year has ensured even greater suppression than before.
In a similar vein, the Russian state has Western media companies for failing to take down content that it considers harmful, including ‘LGBT propaganda.’
What鈥檚 next for Russia鈥檚 LGBTQIA+ population?
The continued arrests of students like Morozov and increased LGBTQIA+ censorship methods cast a dark shadow over the future for Russia鈥檚 queer population.听
With this intense wave of hatred for queer Russians, many LGBTQIA+ organisations in the country have been forced underground to avoid persecution.听
The Conversation鈥檚 Sergey Katsuba says that for the community are an essential step that can be taken to support LGBTQIA+ Russians as they fight for their rights.
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