Russian censorship authority issues anti-LGBTQ Internet guidelines

The Russian censorship authority Roskomnadzor has developed a list of criteria for blocking online content as “LGBT propaganda.” According to the Russian news outlet Vedomosti, websites can be blocked if their content

• presents “nontraditional sexual relations” as attractive;
• presents non-heterosexual relationships as equally valuable for society, compared to “traditional” heterosexual relationships;
• justifies the preference for non-heterosexual relationships;
• attempts to convince the audience to view non-heterosexual relationships positively;
• encourages a positive attitude to what the regulators call “sex change.”

Sites dedicated to popularizing pedophilia will also be blocked.

Vedomosti also reports that Roskomnadzor has distributed a list of films and TV series that should be banned from streaming platforms under the new Russian law prohibiting “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations and pedophilia.” The list includes “Brokeback Mountain,” “Call Me by Your Name,” and certain episodes of “The Sex Lives of College Girls” and “This Is Going to Hurt.”

• On December 5, 2022, President Vladimir Putin signed a law that prohibits “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations and pedophilia.” Its critics think that “pedophilia” was specifically written into the bill to ensure that it met no resistance.
• Earlier, Moscow public libraries reported receiving a government-issued list of books, recommended for “recycling.” The list included books by John Boyne, Michael Cunningham, Stephen Fry, Jean Genet, Haruki Murakami, Sarah Waters, as well as numerous Russian writers.
• Some streaming platforms began to censor films ahead of any official guidelines. Amediateka, for example, has purged the word “gay” from “Sex in the City” and “The White Lotus” series.