Tag: russia gay rights
Russia Adds ‘LGBT Movement’ to ‘Terrorists and Extremists’ List
Russia’s state financial watchdog Rosfinmonitoring has added the so-called “international LGBT public movement” to its list of terrorists and extremists. Being added to the registry allows the authorities to freeze designees’ bank accounts without a court order. It was not immediately clear how Rosfinmonitoring planned to enforce its rules against the vaguely defined “LGBT movement,”… Read more »
Russia makes first convictions for ‘LGBT extremism’ following ban
Russia’s Supreme Court banned the “LGBT movement” in November, continuing a pattern of increasing restrictions on expressions of sexual orientation and gender identity. Two Russian courts have meted out the first convictions in connection with what the government calls the “international LGBT social movement” and which was designated as extremist last year. On Thursday, a… Read more »
Russia Outlaws LGBTQ+ Rights Activism and Labels Organizations ‘Extremist’
The move effectively eliminates LGBTQ+ support networks and signals a larger crackdown on the country’s already vulnerable queer community. The Russian Supreme Court granted a request from the country’s Ministry of Justice to label the “international LGBT social movement” as “extremist,” a move advocates and the local LGBTQ + community fear will lead to a… Read more »
Lesbian Artist Receives Multi-Year Prison Sentence for Criticizing Putin, Military
The judge handed down a harsh sentence for Alexandra Skochilenko, who switched out price tags with antiwar messages in a supermarket protest last year. To the shouts of “Shame!” in the courtroom, a judge in Russia last week sentenced a lesbian artist who criticized the country’s military actions in Ukraine in a supermarket protest last… Read more »
Russia seeks to outlaw LGBTQ movement as ‘extremist’
Justice Ministry files lawsuit in Supreme Court to ban ‘movement’ in most drastic step against the community so far. Russian authorities have filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court to outlaw the LGBTQ “international public movement”, in the latest crackdown against the country’s beleaguered community. The Ministry of Justice said it had “lodged an administrative… Read more »
‘A Quick Death or a Slow Death’: Prisoners Choose War to Get Lifesaving Drugs
An estimated 20 percent of Russia prisoner recruits are H.I.V. positive. To some, the front lines seemed less risky than prisons where they said they were denied effective treatments. In Russian prisons, they said they were deprived of effective treatments for their H.I.V. On the battlefield in Ukraine, they were offered hope, with the promise… Read more »
Russia arrests LGBTQ+ YouTubers on ‘gay propaganda’ charges
Russian authorities have arrested a same-sex couple for allegedly violating the country’s homophobic ‘gay propaganda’ law. Bloggers Haoyang Xu and Gela Gogishvili, who originally hail from China and Georgia respectively, were arrested on Wednesday (5 April) over a YouTube video. The couple regularly document their lives as a same-sex couple in Russia in videos also… Read more »
Russia ordered to recognise same-sex relationships by Europe’s top court
The European Court of Human Rights has ordered Russia to recognise same-sex partnerships, but it’s unlikely Russia will implement protections for queer couples. The ruling came in response to a years-long fight by three queer couples for legal recognition and protection after they were denied the ability to marry by Russia. The applicants were originally… Read more »
‘Our mere existence is illegal.’ As Moscow toughens anti-gay law, LGBTQ Russians fear for the future
Editor’s Note: If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 to connect with a trained counselor or visit the NSPL site.CNN—Young mothers Yana and Yaroslava don’t want to leave Russia with their 6-year-old son. But they fear a harsh… Read more »
‘Our mere existence is illegal.’ As Moscow toughens anti-gay law, LGBTQ Russians fear for the future
Editor’s Note: If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 to connect with a trained counselor or visit the NSPL site. CNN – Young mothers Yana and Yaroslava don’t want to leave Russia with their 6-year-old son. But they… Read more »
‘Our mere existence is illegal.’ As Moscow toughens anti-gay law, LGBTQ Russians fear for the future
Editor’s Note: If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 to connect with a trained counselor or visit the NSPL site. CNN—Young mothers Yana and Yaroslava don’t want to leave Russia with their 6-year-old son. But they fear a… Read more »
Russia’s State Duma Approves Bill to Ban ‘LGBT propaganda’
Those found to be spreading so-called “LGBT propaganda” could face a fine up to $6,600. CNN – Russia’s lower house of parliament passed in the third reading amendments to a law on so-called “LGBT propaganda” on Thursday, expanding liability to all ages. The discriminatory law proposes to ban all Russians from promoting or “praising” homosexual… Read more »
Russia’s State Duma Approves Bill to Ban ‘LGBT propaganda’
CNN – Russia’s lower house of parliament passed in the third reading amendments to a law on so-called “LGBT propaganda” on Thursday, expanding liability to all ages. The discriminatory law proposes to ban all Russians from promoting or “praising” homosexual relationships or publicly suggesting that they are “normal.” The original version of the law adopted… Read more »
‘I’m Afraid for My Future’: Proposed Laws Threaten Gay Life in Russia
The laws, all but assured of enactment, would intensify a crackdown on L.G.B.T.Q. freedom in Russia, which Vladimir V. Putin has cast as a corrosive Western influence. Moscow — In an industrial block in northeastern Moscow on a recent Friday night, organizers of an L.G.B.T.Q.-friendly art festival were assiduously checking IDs. No one under 18… Read more »
‘I’m Afraid for My Future’: Proposed Laws Threaten Gay Life in Russia
The laws, all but assured of enactment, would intensify a crackdown on L.G.B.T.Q. freedom in Russia, which Vladimir V. Putin has cast as a corrosive Western influence. Moscow — In an industrial block in northeastern Moscow on a recent Friday night, organizers of an L.G.B.T.Q.-friendly art festival were assiduously checking IDs. No one under 18… Read more »
Pete Buttigieg & Rachel Levine Among LGBTQ+ Figures Banned From Russia
The Russian Foreign Ministry claimed the bans “are aimed at forcing the ruling American regime to change its behavior.” As the U.S.’s support for Ukraine continues to strengthen, Russia has permanently banned 963 well-known American citizens from entering the country. On Saturday, the “Russian black list” was released as a response to “the hostile actions… Read more »
Russian cabinet strikes down abhorrent bill that would have erased trans people and banned same-sex marriage
Russia’s cabinet has rejected amendments to the country’s Family Code which would not only have banned marriage equality and same-sex adoption (which are already outlawed), but would also have legally erased trans people. A bloc of hard-line, high-decibel anti-LGBT+ lawmakers drew up a package of policies masterminded by Vladimir Putin earlier this year to drum… Read more »
Gay fathers are fleeing Russia with their children after authorities threatened to arrest them for ‘baby trafficking’
Gay and single men in Russia are fleeing the country with their children, after they were threatened with arrest for creating families via surrogacy. Under Vladimir Putin’s rule, authorities in Russia declared this month that gay and single men who have had children by surrogacy will face arrest for “baby trafficking”. Although surrogacy is legal… Read more »
Gay men in Russia with surrogate children warned they face arrest
LGBT+ community draws breath as state investigators equate single fathers to baby traffickers Russian authorities have warned of the arrest of gay men who have fathered children to surrogate mothers, firing what appears to be another salvo across the bow of LGBT+ rights. Commenting on a long-running criminal case to state media, a source in… Read more »
Russian constitution change ends hopes for gay marriage
Hopes vanished on July 1, when voters backed a slate of constitutional amendments, one of them stating marriage is only between a man and a woman. St. Petersburg, Russia — At the Lagutenko wedding in 2017, the couple exchanged vows, rings and kisses in front of friends and relatives, then took a traditional drive in… Read more »
HRC Denounces Russian Constitutional Amendment Banning Same-Sex Marriage
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest LGBT rights advocate, has denounced the passage of a constitutional amendment in Russia that defines marriage as a heterosexual union. Russian voters approved more than 200 constitutional amendments during a recent referendum that lasted seven days. Voters also approved an amendment that paves the way for Russian… Read more »
Chechnya Is Trying to Exterminate Gay People. Our Silence Only Emboldens Vladimir Putin and Ramzan Kadyrov.
Torture. Rape. Murder. I cannot get the gruesome images of these brutal crimes out of my head. “Welcome to Chechnya: Inside the Russian Republic’s Deadly War on Gays,” which premiered at the Sundance Festival in January and airs on HBO next week, is one of the most harrowing films I have ever seen. “Imagine in… Read more »
Gay man in Russia forced into hiding over YouTube interview
(CNN) A gay Russian man is in hiding after Russian authorities opened a criminal case over a YouTube video in which he was interviewed by children, a case that has drawn attention from human-rights activists. Maxim Pankratov told CNN he was facing threats and a potentially lengthy prison sentence for appearing in the video discussing… Read more »
Gay man in Russia forced into hiding over YouTube interview
(CNN) – A gay Russian man is in hiding after Russian authorities opened a criminal case over a YouTube video in which he was interviewed by children, a case that has drawn attention from human-rights activists. Maxim Pankratov told CNN he was facing threats and a potentially lengthy prison sentence for appearing in the video… Read more »
New study finds that Russian schoolchildren are actually tolerant of the LGBTQ community
Although the schoolchildren were tolerant, they weren’t trusting of the LGBTQ community. Following anti-government protests against the Russian government during the Summer, in which several youth activists attended, authorities have moved to try and counter this. Among the methods are patriotic teachings in schools, and a ban on minors attending protests. In the wake of… Read more »
LGBT in Russia: smashing stereotypes and creating a queer future
For Russia’s LGBT community, homophobia and violence are part of day-to-day reality. Some cases, like the murder of activist Yelena Grigoryeva last week or torture in Chechnya, have made international headlines and caused global outrage, while others go tragically unreported. But there is more to LGBT+ life in Russia than just oppression. In fact, a… Read more »
Horrific evidence emerges of more torture in Chechnya’s gay purge
Men were suspended upside down while given electric shocks Graphic new evidence has emerged of the torture of gay men at the hands of authorities in Chechnya. The new evidence comes from the most recent crackdown of the LGBTI community. Earlier this year new reports revealed Chechnya had conducted another round up of LGBTI people… Read more »
Russian LGBT Activists Detained At St. Petersburg Protest
Russian police detained 11 lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights activists taking part in an annual Day of Silence protest in St. Petersburg on April 17. Around 50 protesters sealed their mouths with red tape and marched through the city’s streets. Russia passed a law in 2013 banning the spread of gay “propaganda.” By… Read more »
Survivors of Chechnya’s homophobic purge reveal what happened to them
These are the real stories of gay men who have been tortured, humiliated, beaten and electrocuted Survivors of Chechnya’s homophobic purge are, with very few exceptions, always anonymous. Many people have fled for their lives. Officers could catch them and send them back to a concentration camp. People are tortured, humiliated, beaten and electrocuted and… Read more »
All the top 10 happiest countries in the world have the best LGBTI rights
They’re gay in both senses of the word The World Happiness Report 2019 has been released and all of the top ten countries have an exemplary record on LGBTI rights. The report, produced by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network in partnership with the Ernesto Illy Foundation, has ranked 156 countries on how happy their citizens… Read more »
Russia cancels youth festival for promoting LGBTI agenda
Festival organizers also received death threats Police hauled the organizer of a youth festival in Russia in for questioning as she received online death threats. Yulia Tsvetkova put together the Colour of Saffron festival in the far eastern town of Komsomolsk-on-Amur. Due to run this weekend, local authorities cancelled the event over concerns one of… Read more »
This is what it’s like to be tortured in a Chechnya gay concentration camp
LGBTI activists on the ground are willing to try and evacuate as many as gay men as they can You hear a rapid knock on the door. Your eyes dart to the window, your heart beats faster. ‘It’s the police – open the door,’ a man says loudly from outside. You do – there are… Read more »
LGBTI crisis in Chechnya: People tortured in ‘gay purge’ need to flee the country
‘LGBTI people in Chechnya urgently need our help to save them from imprisonment, torture and murder’ LGBTI people are being rounded up, detained, tortured and executed in Chechnya. The ‘gay purge’ has been happening periodically since the end of 2016. What we know is that Chechen authorities have targeted human rights defenders, their critics and… Read more »
Activists: Chechen Authorities Order Families to Kill LGBT Family Members, Also Pay Ransoms
According to campaigners, families in Chechnya are being ordered to kill their LGBT relatives, with authorities also demanding money for the release of detained LGBT relatives. Russian campaigners have told The Daily Beast that Chechen authorities have ordered people to kill LGBT members of their own families, and have demanded ransoms for the release of… Read more »
Activists warn of a new wave of anti-gay attacks in Chechnya
Exclusive: Activists say authorities ‘have increased their activity’ Activists are warning of a new wave of anti-gay attacks in the Russian republic of Chechnya. According to a social media post last night (10 January), activists are urging LGBTI Chechens to flee immediately, amid a new crackdown against LGBTI people. It is understood authorities received new… Read more »
No Support
Russia’s “Gay Propaganda” Law Imperils LGBT Youth Summary Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth in Russia face formidable barriers to enjoying their fundamental rights to dignity, health, education, information, and association. In Russia, antipathy towards homosexuality and gender variance is not new—LGBT people there have long faced threats, bullying, abuse inside their families, and… Read more »
Russian judge says the country should legalize same-sex unions
The judge said Russia should ‘create family relations different from the usual understanding of the union between a man and a woman’ A judge from Russia said his country should legalize same-sex unions. Dmitry Dedov sits on the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). He shared his official ‘dissenting opinion’ in a written statement. Dedov… Read more »
Gay man refused justice after torture in Chechnya concentration camp
He says he remembers hearing the screams of other gay men in his blood-soaked cell A gay man is speaking out after suffering torture in a Chechnya concentration camp. Maxim Lapunov was one of the first victims of the ‘gay purge‘ in March 2017. Unknown thugs grabbed and dragged him into a car one night.… Read more »
Russia cannot continue to ban LGBTI events, top European court rules
Russian media describe the Court’s ruling as ‘the single biggest case to date’ A top European court ruled today (27 November) Russia can no longer ban LGBTI events. The ruling comes about after a group of seven Russian activists filed 51 applications with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). They allege discrimination and a… Read more »
Court finds 16-year-old charged with ‘gay propaganda’ in Russia innocent
The teenager was charged for uploading photos of men without tops to a social media website The teenager arrested for spreading ‘gay propaganda’ in Russia has won his appeal. In July, 16-year-old, Maxim Neverov, was charged with ‘promoting non-traditional sexual relations’ for publishing several photos on the page on the social media network VKontakte. In… Read more »
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