Russia's LGBTQ+ community is living in fear following new laws and court rulings, activists say
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russia-s-lgbtq-community-is-living-in-fear-following-new-laws-and-court-rulings-activists-say/ar-AA1vmM5H?ocid=windirect&cvid=09d400e4bf4e43b097f08a290f8e6894&ei=49
Story by DASHA LITVINOVA (6 Dec 2024)
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Gela Gogishvili and Haoyang Xu led a happy life as a gay couple in Russia, even as President Vladimir Putin's government took an increasingly anti-LGBTQ+ stance.
Their social media posts and videos drew thousands of followers, and they were greeted by them sometimes on the streets in Kazan, in Russia's Tatarstan region, where Gogishvili was a pharmacist and Xu, from China, studied international relations at a university.
Just over a year ago, Russia's Supreme Court effectively outlawed any LGBTQ+ activism in a ruling that designated "the international LGBT movement" as extremist. The move exposed anyone in the community or connected to it to criminal prosecution and prison, ushering in an atmosphere of fear and intimidation.
"I'm scared for the queer community in Russia that remains in the country," Gogishvili told The Associated Press.
That community in Russia has been under legal and public pressure for over a decade but especially since the Kremlin sent troops to Ukraine in 2022. Putin has argued that the war is a proxy battle with the West, which he says aims to destroy Russia and its "traditional family values" by pushing for LGBTQ+ rights.
Coming to America soon ☹️.
QuoteComing to America soon ☹️.
Coming to the UK 2 years after America