Russian Anti-LGBTQ+ Crackdowns Against a Club’s Gay Night, and My Little Pony

February 23, 2024
HANK ORSO

Russian President Vladimir Putin's extreme anti-LGBTQ+ agenda continues to be painfully felt as members of that community face harassment, beatings, and arrest. Others merely perceived as being adjacent to the gay community also face harassment. On Saturday two incidents occurred at two different locations to make their point clear.

OVD-Info, a Russian activist and advocacy organization, reported that The Typography nightclub located in Moscow was raided during their "unofficial" gay night. Nine men were arrested, some of whom were filmed being dragged from the club out into the snow, beaten, and kicked. “The security forces forced the party participants to lie on the floor. Those present were photographed, beaten, and threatened with being forced into the war in Ukraine,” OVC-Info said on VK.

When the country's Supreme Court granted the Ministry of Justice's request in late November of last year to label the LGBTQ+ community as "extremists," it ushered in a new wave of harassment. “'The Russian Ministry of Justice has lodged an administrative legal claim with the Supreme Court to recognize the International LGBT public movement as extremist and ban its activity in Russia,' the ministry said in a statement at the time," as reported by The Advocate.

The Supreme Court recognized the international LGBT movement as an extremist organization and banned it in Russia
▪️Various signs and manifestations of extremist orientation have been identified in the activities of the movement in the Russian Federation, including the… pic.twitter.com/jsa1Jei5GF
— DD Geopolitics (@DD_Geopolitics) November 30, 2023

The similarity in language used by former President Trump in connection to the Black Lives Matter movement is not lost on us. Such vague wording allows for a broad interpretation of what constitutes an infraction of their laws barring LGBTQ+ expression and speech. As reported by Amnesty International: "'The ruling risks resulting in a blanket ban on LGBTI organizations with far-reaching violations of the rights to freedom of association, expression and peaceful assembly, as well as the right to be free from discrimination.' Marie Struthers, Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia at Amnesty International."

Click link to watch video of Russian police raid a bar in Yekaterinburg, Russia in December, courtesy of VK.

Such expression reached into children's cartoon fare on Saturday as well when a gathering of adult My Little Pony fans at the Mi Amore convention was forced to close early after police investigated a tip about the possibility of children being exposed to gay content. And yes, those rainbow unicorn images deeply unsettle the powers that be. According to AP reporting, "Russian movie database Kinopoisk changed its rating for the animated series to an adult-only '18+' in December 2023, local news outlets reported, not long after a Russian court declared the 'global LGBTQ+ movement' to be an extremist organization. Although no reason was given for the change, viewers speculated that the decision could be linked to the character Rainbow Dash, whose multicolored mane and tail are similar to the LGBTQ+ pride flag."

Previous arrests and fines have been levied against those representing the rainbow in public under the new "extremist" ruling.

In a statement from Human Rights Watch: “The authorities’ move apparently serves a dual purpose,” said Tanya Lokshina, associate Europe and Central Asia director. “It is meant to increase the scapegoating of LGBT people to appeal to the Kremlin’s conservative supporters before the March 2024 presidential vote and to paralyze the work of rights groups countering discrimination and supporting LGBT people.”