1 of 1 A protester waves a rainbow flag during the LGBT community rally in central Saint Petersburg, Russia, August 3, 2019 Photo: Portal/Anton Vaganov A protester waves a rainbow flag during the LGBT community rally in central Saint Petersburg, Russia , on August 3, 2019 Photo: Portal/Anton Vaganov
Russia called this Friday (17) for the ban of the “international public LGBT movement” as it considers it “extremist”, in a new demonstration of Moscow’s ultraconservative wave, which has intensified since the beginning of its offensive against Ukraine and is taking part in the several NGOs involved were described as homophobic.
The Russian Justice Ministry announced the decision in a statement, but did not specify whether it affected the general movement to defend the rights to gender identity and sexual orientation of minorities or specific rights defense organizations.
The company also did not respond to attempts to contact AFP.
In the statement, the institution announced that it had “filed an administrative complaint with the Supreme Court (…) to recognize the international LGBT movement as extremist and to ban its activities in Russia.”
The court will consider the application from November 30th.
For years, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been implementing policies that have been described as homophobic and transphobic by numerous representatives of the LGBTQIAP+ community (lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual and others) and NGOs.
Since the offensive against Kiev began in February 2022, the Kremlin has multiplied its measures against this group, arguing that it is defending children against behavior it considers unacceptable and presenting itself as a moral bulwark against the decline of the West. .
The Russian government guarantees that people can have any sexual orientation, but Russia must protect children from Western propaganda that Moscow says denies the existence of biological sex.
The Ministry of Justice’s announcement was denounced by professional organizations.
“The Russian power is once again forgetting that the LGBT+ community are people, citizens of this country and other countries. And now they not only want to make us disappear from the public space, but also ban us as a social group,” Dilia Gafurova, director, told AFP of the “Sphere” foundation for the defense of the rights of LGBTQIAP+ people.
“It is a typical measure of repressive and undemocratic regimes: the persecution of the weakest,” he added, pledging to “fight” for the community’s rights in Russia.
In July, Russian lawmakers passed a law banning surgical procedures and hormone therapy for gender reassignment. The text also strips trans people of the right to adopt children.
Since 2013, a law in the country has banned the “propaganda” of “nontraditional sexual relationships” against minors, a text that has been denounced by NGOs as a tool of repression against the LGBTQIAP+ community.
This legislation was expanded in late 2022 to also ban LGBTQIAP+ “propaganda” directed at any audience, be it in the media, online, in books or in films.
Since 2020, the Russian constitution stipulates that marriage is the union between a man and a woman, preventing samesex unions.
The main NGO defending the rights of this community in Russia, LGBT Set, was classified as a “foreign agent” in 2021, making its activities more difficult and leading to fines and even bans.