November 22, 2023

Ministry of Justice: LGBT Russians Are Next


Ministry of Justice: LGBT Russians Are Next
Pride flag. RADAR ID INTL, Twitter.

The Russian Ministry of Justice has filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court to ban "the international LGBT movement" and declare it "extremist." The court's decision may put all Russian LGBT activists and organizations at risk of criminal prosecution.

In a Justice Department press release, LGBTQ+ Russians were referred to as an "international social movement." Neither Mediazona nor The Moscow Times could find proof of a "movement." 

Over the past decade, Russia has passed legislation attacking its LGBTQ+ citizens. In December 2022, President Vladimir Putin signed a law against "LGBT propaganda," which set fines for books or media that represented non-straight relationships. During the summer of 2023, Russia banned gender-affirming care and sex changes on legal documents. 

If the court upholds the ban as passed, prosecutors will have the power to pursue "terrorism" cases against LGBT Russians, especially activists. The media will have to add disclaimers of "extremism" when referring to LGBT people or else face fines. According to The Moscow Times, LGBT organizations will have the same legal status as pro-Navalny groups.

The Supreme Court's ruling is scheduled for November 30.

You Might Also Like

Russia's Anti LGBT+ War
  • August 15, 2023

Russia's Anti LGBT+ War

Taking stock, ten years on from Russia's passage of its first post-Soviet anti-gay law.
No More Music
  • November 08, 2023

No More Music

So far this year, Yandex.Music has eradicated more than 4000 bits of content.
The Lady with the Tote Bag
  • August 04, 2023

The Lady with the Tote Bag

A woman was fined for "tarnishing the Russian army” through anti-war imagery and a "provocative" tattoo.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955