Police raids, preemptive closures, and an 18+ label for ‘My Little Pony’

Russia’s ‘LGBT movement’ ban hasn’t come into force yet, but its chilling effect has been immediate

On November 30, the Russian Supreme Court ruled to ban the “international LGBT movement” in response to a lawsuit from the Justice Ministry. While the decision has yet to come into force, it’s already had significant effects for LGBTQ+ people in Russia. Meduza sums up the fallout from the ruling in its first five days.

On the night of December 1, Russian law enforcement officers raided multiple nightclubs that were hosting events for LGBTQ+ people in Moscow. The Telegram channel Sota reported that police showed up at three clubs in the city.

“In the middle of the party, the music stopped and [police] started coming into the rooms. There were also people from other countries at the party. At the exit, they took pictures of people’s passports without permission,” a person who was at one of the clubs told the Telegram channel Ostrorozhno, Moskva. At another club that was reportedly raided, the pop star Olga Buzova was scheduled to perform but canceled the concert at the last minute.

Raids were also reported at saunas in the city. “It all went down like a regular drug raid. No violations were found but the atmosphere was ruined,” said one eyewitness, adding that police officers made patrons lie face down.

The popular St. Petersburg gay club Central Station announced Friday that it’s closing. “Dear friends, unfortunately, the venue that we’ve been renting has refused to work with us any longer due to the law. We apologize, but we’re no longer working. Until we meet again!” read the club’s announcement on social media. The message didn’t specify which law it was referring to, but it appears to mean the Russian Supreme Court’s November 30 decision to ban the “LGBT movement.” According to the outlet Fontanka, Central Station was one of the oldest gay clubs operating in the city.

The dating app Pure has removed the option for Russian users to indicate their sexual orientation when registering. According to the Telegram channel Ostorozhno, Novosti, users from Russia can now only specify their height, weight, and language, while users from all other countries can choose from a list of sexual orientations.

The human rights project DELO, which provided legal assistance to LGBTQ+ people in Russia, announced that it’s dissolving “due to outside circumstances.” The group’s statement said that all of the ongoing cases with which it’s been assisting will be transferred to “trustworthy lawyers” and are “guaranteed to be seen through to completion.”

On the Yandex-owned movie database Kinopoisk, an 18+ symbol has appeared next to the cartoon series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. It’s unclear what prompted the label. The Telegram channel Sota speculated that it could be a response to the fact that the name of one of the show’s main characters is Rainbow Dash.

Lawyers from the human rights group Department One have said the Supreme Court’s “LGBT movement” ban will officially come into force on January 10, 2024.