After an alleged “complaint,” authorities in the northeastern coastal city of Arkhangelsk, Russia raided the local LGBTQ center late last week “inspecting and withdrawing materials” from the center and detaining “volunteers, lawyers and five volunteers” inside, according to Gay Star News.
Thus far, no other media outlets have reported on the raid. Government officials have also not issued any public comment. But the report raises concerning because of Russia’s anti-LGBTQ policies.
Related: Russia just prosecuted its first minor under its bogus antigay child “propaganda” laws
In 2013, Russia passed a nationwide law banning “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relationships.” Soon after, Russian authorities began cracking down on LGBTQ activism online and off.
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Last April, Russia’s Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor) blocked Gay.ru and Lesbi.ru, two of Russia’s oldest LGBTQ websites, for disseminating pro-LGBTQ “propaganda.” The websites offered breaking queer news and had over 1.5 million monthly visitors per month.
Hornet reports, “In January 2014, Russian authorities reportedly filed charges against the head of Children 404, the Russian version of the “It Gets Better” project. In April 2014, St. Petersburg police disrupted a showing of a gay teen documentary at a local film festival associated with Children 404. In the same year, a Russian newspaper was fined $1,400 for reporting on the firing of a gay teacher.”
Last year, Russia charged a 16-year-old gay activist for disseminating gay propaganda and fined him 50,000 rubles ($762 US).
In addition to all this, Human Rights Watch says at least seven LGBTQ-identified educators have been fired or forced to resign over fears that they’ll spread “propaganda and non-heterosexual orientation to children.”
If that wasn’t bad enough, the semi-autonomous Russian Republic of Chechnya has an ongoing campaign of kidnapping, detaining, torturing and murdering queer people over false charges of drug dealing and terrorism.
It’s unclear whether anyone detained inside of Arkhangelsk’s LGBTQ center will be charged for spreading propaganda.
Aires the Ram
And the ‘gay mafia’ in this country insist you vote for candidates in our next election who want socialism/communism. Hmmmmm.
THINK, before you Vote.
Vince
Russia isn’t a communist country anymore. More like a Fascist country controlled by the Oligarchs. Maybe you should try a little thinking yourself.
Juanjo
The level of stupidity exhibited above by Aires is astounding.
Kangol
Russia isn’t a Communist country anymore, Aires! Did you miss the entire period from 1989 to today? Perestroika, Gorbachev, Yeltsin, etc.? Russia is a right-wing fascist state whose dictator, Vladimir Putin, effectively controls your beloved puppet racist narcissist Trump! Wake the hell up and get with the 21st century!
Vince
Who would complain about a LGBT center and for what? Russia is the Christian Right wings wet dream of what they want here. Religion and Government co-conspirators in corruption.
CobraPowers
You missed the part when Communist/Socialist countries have killed gays by the millions.
Jared MacBride
It’s Trump’s fault.
CobraPowers
Everything is according to the gay left.
Kangol
Well, Russia is many things, but it isn’t 1) predominantly Muslim or in the Middle East; 2) in Africa or controlled by Black people; 3) impoverished; 4) Communist or Socialist anymore; or 5) isolated geographically from the rest of central and western Europe. And yet it is rabidly anti-gay/LGBTQ, with close ties between its right-wing fascist government and Orthodox Christian Church. Why does Russia and its leadership hate LGBTQ people so much? And why doesn’t Trump demand his buddy Putin change the anti-gay laws there and stop harming LGBTQ people?
Billysees
Why does Russia and its leadership hate LGBTQ people so much?
And why doesn’t Trump demand his buddy Putin change the anti-gay laws there and stop harming LGBTQ people?
Two excellent questions. The answers will be a new and better administration than what we have now; and the Russian people need to become aware of the mean-spiritedness within its churches.
gymmuscleboy
@Billysees and @Kangol Regardless of what we may arrogantly like to think, America doesn’t have the ability to just demand that the outside world adopt western values. Even Obama did absolutely nothing except make a comment on The Tonight Show when the Russian gay propaganda law was introduced during his own presidency. So let’s get some perspective and stop blaming Trump for everything.
Vince
Trump didn’t even say anything when Chechnya and the Katyrov thug was imprisoning and killing gay men. He likes evil Dictators too much.
plazaro1
I hope people wake up to whats going on here and move to another country. Its absolutely appalling! Gay men need to learn self defense, need to know the law in the country they are living, need to have a permit to use weapons. This has to stop, some how.
irbaboon
We can thank the Russian orthodox church for this
lovethyneighbor
Russia is co-conspirators to religious oppression and corruption. I mean, if you claim to be a Christian, be saved, have God’s forgiveness, and are going to have eternal life; you can do whatever you want to “non-Christian or non-believers” because God hates sinners.
While Russia is trying to appease their religious faith and corruption under the guise of the Russian Orthodox Church, we have the same thing going on in this country. Some Christians, along with just self-righteous individuals, the alt-right, the GOP, and a narcissistic petty FAKE President, who operates as Putin’s puppet, is moving right in line with the fascist behavior of Russia. Get ready for it, America; you have want a totalitarian rule and dictatorship and it’s already on its way. Trump and his minions along with the GOP and Trumpsters are traversing a course toward forcing Christian values down the throats of the people living in this country.
Congratulations to the USA, we will soon be able to say we have come full-circle from the time that the pilgrims left England because of religious oppression, taxation, and more to come to a country that offered many freedoms; however, the freedoms have been too much for the traditionalists, who have wanted to force Christian religious principles down the throats of the non-believers, will now leave a new set of people seeking to explore for a new country where, once more, mankind can be free of religious oppression and expression. Perhaps, history will not repeat itself for a 3rd time.
gymmuscleboy
@lovethyneighbour Traversing a course eh? Sounds legit. Why not add some substance to your comment and give us your best three examples where the Trump administration has forced Christian values down the throats of all Americans? It should be quick and easy for you if you really believe what you have said. And by the way, if you have to copy and paste an article from Vox as your answer, you’re doing it wrong.
derek mcgillicuddy
I wonder if the Russian government is really anti-gay, or have just chosen us as the boogie-man of the day so as to distract the gullible in Russian society from directing their attention toward the corruption and graft of its leaders. Every society needs an enemy to focus its people’s attention on. Hitler had many enemies just as do Nixon & Trump, and like Putin, Nixon & Trump use the resources of the government to punish their critics (Just to-day as reported in the NYT: “The United States has revoked the visa of the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor because of her attempts to investigate allegations of war crimes in Afghanistan, including any that may have been committed by American forces….”) We live in a truly rotten world.