As the Ukraine war rages, Russia doubles down on anti-LGBT laws

The parliament has approved bills aimed at further constricting the country’s marginalised LGBT community. Russia’s original law banning “gay propaganda” targeting children was passed in 2013, marking the Kremlin’s swing towards what it calls “traditional values.” The level of abuse against the LGBT community has risen substantially since then. “These laws, both existing and proposed, will certainly affect both LGBT+ persons and Russian society as a whole,” said Noel Shaida, head of communications at the Sphere Foundation, a Russian organisation supporting the LGBT community. “Nevertheless, I think a lot of publishers think this is nonsense and will try not to self-censor themselves too much, and a lot of niche academic texts on matters of gender and sexuality will slip through.” Although many queer Russians, such as the classical composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky, have made valuable contributions to Russia’s rich cultural heritage, Dilya Gafurova of the Sphere Foundation says they are not viewed as equal citizens. “After the adoption of the 2013 ban on ‘LGBT propaganda among minors’, Russian society saw a spike in negative attitudes toward the LGBT+ people, as some polls demonstrated,” Gafurova told Al Jazeera.