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“Being Quer is now practically illegal,” says Alexander Tschaplygin. “What is coming now is to make it clear to LGBTQ people: you are not safe.” Chaplygin is a physics student in Moscow and is openly gay. He is angry and disappointed with what the Russian Duma has recently decided.

And he is concerned. He, who actually often demonstrates pro-LGBTQIA, but also against the Russian war in Ukraine, says: What will come next is “unpredictable”.

It is about a new law: anyone who spreads information about lesbians, gays, bisexuals, trans, queer, intersex or asexual people in Russia, for example on social media, will be punished.

On October 27, the bill found a clear majority in Russia’s Duma, the lower house. The law will be passed by the upper house this week or in the coming weeks and will be signed by Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin. However, this is considered a formality.

The design includes:

Reactions in the country were mixed, with publishers reporting that they would probably have to remove some books from their range. Chaplygin says, “I expect queer people to be much more observed now.”

“Morally Corrupt West”

It is striking that the law was also drawn up with a view to the war in Ukraine. Deputy Alexander Chinstein, who submitted the draft to the State Duma, explained on Telegram that the “special operation” takes place not only on the battlefield, but also “in the minds of the people, in their minds and souls”. Today, Russia is also fighting the fact that somewhere in the country there will be “older number one”, “number two”, “number three”. He wanted “Mom and Dad”.

In doing so, Chinstein feeds an image of the enemy that has been used time and time again in Russia and in propaganda, and which has come to the fore even more since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The reasoning: Russia is defending itself against the “morally corrupt West”, in which homosexuality flourishes, traditional values ​​have lost their meaning and this must also be imposed on the whole world. The Russian troops are praised as heroic fighters against this “madness”.

The deputy speaks of a “civilization confrontation” with the West and sees the future of the country threatened, “the health of the nation, the demographics”. He is completely aligned with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin. He also regularly ranted against the ‘soaked West’. In speeches he mocks same-sex marriages or genders, as most recently in the speech about the illegal annexation of four Ukrainian territories.

«Story of hate» in state media

An anti-queer law has been in force in Russia since 2013. It prohibits children from being educated on issues such as same-sex love, trans identity, or intersex. According to Russian politicians, minors must be protected against “homosexual propaganda”. The law was not always interpreted strictly and violations punished, but now it should apply to everyone in Russia and to all forms of media. This is seen as a clear signal to the community that things are getting serious.

Researcher Nikolay Lunchenkov knows this reasoning. “Being gay has never been easy in Russia,” he says. Lunchenkov works on sexual health and is a consultant in this area. He is in contact with many contact and advice centers in Russia. He now works in Munich. In a video call, he recalls how, a few years ago, transvestites in Russia made grand appearances at famous New Year’s celebrations. Today, he says, that is unthinkable.

Already with the 2013 law, he says, people have become more careful about talking about their sexuality. At the same time, according to him, the number of people who spoke freely about LGBTQIA, especially on television, increased. Lunchenkov describes this as a “hate story”: it has become normal to first speak against gays or bisexuals in shows – then about Ukrainians and then maybe about people from Central Asia. Everyone – so the logic goes – wanted to harm Russia. The propaganda worked on their enemy image.

Today, says Lunchenkov, he knows queer artists who only perform in well-hidden places; some are considering emigrating or have already left. He sees the new law as a major problem for the Russian healthcare system in particular. The contact points that used to do educational work now fear that they can no longer reach people.

They are no longer allowed to campaign on issues such as sexual health, condom use or HIV testing. Lunchenkov predicts that this will significantly increase the number of HIV-positive cases. And, “Russia will see a significant increase in teen suicides.” These would be left alone due to a lack of information. Both areas are already a significant health care problem in Russia.

“Gay hunters” lure queer people into dates

The human rights organization Amnesty International has also strongly criticized the planned amendment to the law. LGBTQIA are “discriminated against by law and are blatantly denied their right to freedom of expression,” Marie Struthers, director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, wrote in a statement. It assumes a deterioration of society as a whole, more violence and hate crimes against this population group.

The law also worries physics student Tschaplygin because of so-called ‘gay hunters’. They lure LGBTQIA people on dates, get help, beat them up, rob them. They often film their victims and post the images on the internet. “The law,” says Chaplygin, “makes such people feel that they are right and that they are protected by the law.”

In the ranking of the 49 most gay-friendly countries in Europe in 2021, Russia has already dropped a long way to place 46. Only Armenia, Turkey and Azerbaijan did worse. The ranking assesses how well queer people can live in the respective countries based on human rights. Russia only gets 8.45 percent. In comparison, Malta leads the list with 92.93 percent, Germany is in the top green area with 53.34 and Switzerland is slightly behind with 47.38 percent.

Tschaplygin from Moscow does not want to be afraid. The pro-queer demos are dead now, but he will continue to talk about homosexuality. He does not see the need to change his life, he says. “I will continue to use Tinder and go to gay-friendly clubs.”