Introduction

This chapter highlights a sampling of LGBTQIA+ media produced in the Russian Federation, focusing on the increased activity of the last 3–4 years. Despite the hostile climate, a new generation of visible LGBTQIA+ voices has emerged which, unlike the vibrant but ghettoized LGBTQIA+ print culture of the 1990s and early 2000s, is reaching a growing audience (Wilkinson 2019). My selection is far from exhaustive, but should equip someone new to the subject to identify additional contemporary or historical sources related to topics not discussed here, like popular music, art, theater, or fashion. For a longer and continually updated list of sources, see my guide LGBTQIA+ Studies Resources: Russian Federation.

There is a gender imbalance even in LGBTQIA+ media in Russia, with more publications by and for gay cismales than for other members of the LGBTQIA+ community. I have attempted to balance this out when selecting resources. I chose to exclude Russophone publications from neighboring Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Ukraine as well as from other former Soviet republics; while such content may be accessible to audiences within the Russian Federation, it is produced in different contexts and requires separate guides. Conversely, I chose to include a few prominent expatriate voices who continue to write about the situation in Russia from abroad. Emigration of LGBTQIA+ people has been increasing since national discriminatory laws began to be adopted in 2013 and has peaked (at least for the activists and content creators discussed in this text) in the wake of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, mobilization, and the passing of the most recent anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation. I use the term “LGBTQIA+” throughout this text, but researchers should be aware that the most common acronyms used in the media produced by the community in Russia as of 2023 are LGBT (ЛГБТ) and LGBT+ (ЛГБТ+).

LGBTQIA+ people in the Russian Federation exist in an environment of systemic, state-sponsored homophobia and escalating discriminatory laws. Many live with the daily threat of physical violence (Kondakov 2021) and experience discrimination in education, employment, health care, and other spheres. This environment has been exacerbated by the wartime increase in hostility toward any expression of non-conformity or dissent and by the growing culture of informing on neighbors and colleagues. While the Soviet sodomy laws were quietly repealed in 1993, a series of municipal and regional anti-gay laws were passed by the early 2010s, leading to the 2013 national-level adoption ban and the “gay propaganda” law prohibiting the dissemination of information about LGBTQIA+ topics to minors. The 2020 constitutional amendment defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman. In 2022, the “gay propaganda” law was expanded to ban the dissemination of any information about LGBTQIA+ topics on the internet, in mass media, books, film/video, audiovisual services, or advertisements to people of any age. In 2023, an anti-trans law banning gender-affirming surgery and changes to the gender marker in passports was passed, followed by the Russian Supreme Court declaring the “international LGBT-movement” an extremist organization and banning their activity in Russia. Additionally, the 2012 “foreign agent” law, though not specific to LGBTQIA+, has been weaponized to target organizations as well as individuals like activist Igor’ Kochetov (Игорь Кочетов), or young adult authors Katerina Sil’vanova (Катерина Сильванова) and Elena Malisova (Елена Малисова), especially after protecting “traditional values” became part of Russia’s National Security Strategy in 2015.

There is every reason to expect more repressions against LGBTQIA+ people to follow. Much of the content discussed below can thus be considered endangered, and it is difficult to predict which of the resources will remain available by the time of publication. Internet resources, including audio and video materials, may be the most vulnerable, as they are not just subject to being blocked by Russia’s media policing agency Roskomnadzor, but may be “proactively” suspended by website hosting providers or social media platforms, or simply removed by creators themselves in acts of self-censorship for self-preservation.

Books and Publishers

Librarians wishing to add current Russian queer literature to their book collections can start with Popcorn Books, an independent Moscow publisher focusing on YA literature about “uncomfortable” (their term) topics such as identity, racism, sexism, body image, and mental illness. Their output includes a string of path-breaking books centering LGBTQIA+ characters from a new cohort of queer domestic authors. Some, like Leto v pionerskom galstuke (Лето в пионерском галстуке) by Katerina Sil’vanova (Катерина Сильванова) and Elena Malisova (Елена Малисова), a novel about same-sex romance in a Soviet Young Pioneer camp, have topped Russian bestseller charts, resulting in unprecedented print runs reaching 250,000 copies; the average print run in 2021 was 3,591 copies. Mikita Franko (Микита Франко)’s 2020 debut Dni nashei zhizni (Дни нашей жизни) is the first work in Russian literature to examine relationships between a child and their same-sex parents, and look at the effects of having to hide one’s family in the homophobic world of contemporary Russia. Franko’s next two novels, Tetrad’ v kletochku (Тетрадь в клеточку) and (Devochka)⁰ ((Девочка)⁰) explore gender identity and transgender family relationships (another first for Russian fiction), also through the eyes of an adolescent. Other small presses to watch are the Saint Petersburg independent Poriadok slov (Порядок слов), the feminist No Kidding Press, and Freedom Letters, launched in 2023 outside of Russia.

Major Russian publishers have typically shied away from LGBTQIA+ topics, but recent years have seen several important exceptions. Rana (Рана) by poet Oksana Vasiakina (Оксана Васякина), released in 2021 by heavyweight humanities publisher Novoe literaturnoe obozrenie (Новое литературное обозрение), is the first novel dealing with female homosexuality to garner significant media attention. The book is available in an English translation by Elin Atler (Catapult, 2023). The publishing giant EKSMO (ЭКСМО), through its imprint Inspiria, released Moi belyi (Мой белый) by Ksenia Burzhskaia (Ксения Буржская), while EKSMO’s sibling AST (АСТ) issued, through its various imprints, novels by Katia Chistiakova (Катя Чистякова), Iurii Karakur (Юрий Каракур), Timur Valitov (Тимур Валитов), and non-binary author Maksim Sonin (Максим Сонин), and a transition memoir by Miranda Zomberg (Миранда Зомберг). With the passing of the 2022 law, major publishers (and retailers) have begun to remove LGBTQIA+ content from their platforms; new publications are unlikely to appear through this channel any time soon.

Librarians wishing to engage in retroactive collecting can start by exploring the output of Kolonna Publications, the back issues of related literary journal Mitin zhurnal (Митин журнал), and the defunct Kvir (Квир), the publishing arm of the eponymous gay male magazine (2003–2013). Kolonna has operated since 1997, and has published icons from that era such as Iaroslav (Slava) Mogutin (Ярослав (Слава) Могутин), Vadim Kalinin (Вадим Калинин), and Evgeniia Debrianskaia (Евгения Дебрянская). Their more recent publications include two acclaimed novels by journalist Sergei Khazov-Kassia (Сергей Хазов-Хассиа) and the “diary” series from Aleksandr Markin (Александр Маркин), although the press now concentrates primarily on translations. Kvir published novels by Soviet Union’s premier gay dissident Gennadii Trifonov (Геннадий Трифонов), poetry by activist Ol’ga Krauze (Ольга Краузе), biographies of LGBTQIA+ Russians by Vladimir Kirsanov (Владимир Кирсанов), and several gay and lesbian literature anthologies.

In many ways, the titles above are exceptions. Much of Russia’s domestic queer literature has existed in the realm of (primarily electronic) self-publishing (with presses like Popcorn Books drawing from this pool), but the 2022 law makes the fate of this domain uncertain. Furthermore, a key activity of publishers like Popcorn Books, Poriadok slov (Порядок слов), No Kidding Press, and Kolonna Publications has been issuing Russian translations of Western queer literature. This is an important cultural phenomenon, and its influence is awaiting research. However, outside of a small handful of public libraries serving émigré populations, North American libraries do not normally collect translations into Russian.

Precious little scholarship on LGBTQIA+ topics has been published in Russia. Many institutes conducting such research (or any kind of gender studies) in the 1990s and early 2000s have since closed their doors, and any remaining ones have been declared “foreign agents.” A different kind of anti-gay “scholarship” seems to have emerged (Moss 2021). Consequently, the number of scholars working on LGBTQIA+ topics is minimal, and even those work from outside the country. Irina Roldugina (Ирина Ролгудина) is a historian whose articles on Russian queer history have appeared in places like the independent culture review Colta, the opposition magazine The New Times, and the anthology V zashchitu meinstrima (В защиту мейнстрима) (Aliab’eva, Gorbachev, and Danilkin 2021). Alexander Kondakov (Александр Кондаков) is a sociologist investigating violence against LGBTQIA+ persons. Both regularly contribute to English-language scholarly publications. A small handful of other scholars can be traced by examining the 2014 conference publication Na pereput’e (На перепутье), evidently the last domestic publication of its kind.

Film & Video

With no government funding and obvious difficulties in securing private support for films on LGBTQIA+ topics, very few such films are produced. Shorts and documentary shorts predominate. Tellingly, Russia’s only LGBTQIA+ film festival, “Bok o Bok” («Бок о бок»), which has been held in Saint Petersburg and online since 2008 (despite ever-increasing harassment), did not include a domestic film program until 2021.

Several notable projects emerged in the last few years, however. Karen Shainian (Карен Шаинян)’s Kvirografiia (Квирография; Queerography), directed by Mariia Pavlova (Мария Павлова) and Anna Shmit’ko (Анна Шмитько), is a beautifully filmed documentary series that presents, in their own voices, the lives of LGBTQIA+ people in Russian cities outside of the two capitals. Shainian and his team have built an impressive body of work (available on Shainian’s YouTube channel), which includes the interview web show Straight Talk with Gay People, a series of playful educational videos Kvirprosvet (Квирпросвет), and over a dozen other interview-based documentaries. Davai s”ezzhat’sia! (Давай съезжаться!), a Zoom show created by journalists and lesbian activists Anna Filippova (Анна Филиппова), Mariia Latsinskaia (Мария Лацинская), and Katia Nenakhova (Катя Ненахова), takes a more DIY approach. Recorded during the pandemic lockdown in 2020, the show’s nine episodes dissect lesbian stereotypes, biphobia, and plenty of popular culture. As of December 2023, however, the creators have removed all episodes from their YouTube channel.

Several projects have received attention in the West. For example, Alina Rudnitskaia (Алина Рудницкая)’s Victory Day and Askol’d Kurov (Аскольд Куров) and Pavel Loparev (Павел Лопарев)’s Children 404, both made on the heels of the 2013 “gay propaganda” law, have been picked up by American distributors. Katerina Sedliarova (Катерина Седлярова)’s Nikogda nikomu ob etom ne rasskazyvai (Никогда никому об этом не рассказывай), about intersex people, was created specifically for the BBC News Russian Service.

Some creators make their films freely available on video sharing platforms after they have made the festival circuit, including Alina Alieva (Алина Алиева)’s portraits of non-binary people Ty mal’chik ili devochka? (Ты мальчик или девочка?), Anastasiia Shalaia (Анастасия Шалая)’s documentary about transgender people Zdravstvui, ia (Здравствуй, я), Seva Galkin (Сева Галкин)’s probing dramas Fanaty (Фанаты) and Porok serdtsa (Порок сердца), and Svetlana Sigaleva (Светлана Сигалева)’s Plokhaia doch’ (Плохая дочь), a fictional exploration of partner/family relations and homophobia.

Several films about the Russian LGBTQIA+ community have been produced by Western filmmakers since 2013, focusing primarily on human rights violations. David France’s 2020 HBO documentary Welcome to Chechnya is perhaps the most well-known of these. Since these resources are easier to identify and access, I have chosen to omit them here.

Podcasts

The 2020 pandemic lockdown produced an explosion of Russian LGBTQIA+ podcasts, with several standout projects functioning very much like oral history collections. Puti priniatiia (Пути принятия) (rebranded as Kartofel’ (Картофель) in 2023), is a formidable corpus of interviews with lesbian activists, journalists, and scholars by Kazan’-based journalist Lena Dogadina (Лена Догадина), focusing on self-acceptance, coming out, and parent relations. Propaganda feminizma (Пропаганда феминизма), co-hosted by women’s history scholar Anna Sidorevich (Анна Сидоревич) and non-binary activist Kris Gnezdo (Крис Гнездо), bridges the gap between feminism and queer activism. Raduzhnyi (Радужный) is an excellent narrative podcast exploring LGBTQIA+ lives in the Russian provinces, anchored by host Sergei Puchkin (Сергей Пучкин)’s own story of growing up gay in a remote Siberian town. Mikhail Suetin (Михаил Суетин)’s Po poias v raduge (По пояс в радуге), the longest-running podcast on the list, is a series of well-researched lectures on world LGBTQIA+ history and conditions in Russia. Kvirkast (Квиркаст) and Naraspashku (Нараспашку) are activist podcasts covering a range of topics, from anti-gay violence to sexual health to non-binary language, while Kvir’ kul’turu (Квирь культуру) and Gromche! (Громче!) explore queer art, literature, and film. Notable defunct podcasts include Moi gender segodnia (Мой гендер сегодня), focusing on gender studies and feminism, and Nebinarnyi SSSR (Небинарный СССР), exploring queer Soviet history, both produced by Aleksandr Fokin (Александр Фокин) and consisting of extended interviews with Russophone scholars at Western universities.

Community Organizations & Gray Literature

LGBTQIA+ support organizations have existed in several Russian cities (Moscow and Saint Petersburg have had multiple organizations), with new grassroots community centers appearing until the most recent round of anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation. One example is Kazan’ Priniatie (Принятие, https://accept.center), which opened its doors in 2019 but closed in 2022, though versions of Kazan’ Priniatie’s website are available via the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine. Other organizations are similarly under threat. While the “foreign agent” label placed significant restrictions and bureaucratic burdens on operations, often leading to suspension or closure, and the “gay propaganda” law resulted in lawsuits and fines, the new “extremist organization” designation will prove even more devastating.

In addition to their function as community spaces and sources of legal and psychological support, many of these organizations have published a variety of gray literature in print and electronic format. These include human rights monitoring reports, educational materials, and self-help brochures. For example, several style guides on inclusive and respectful language aimed at journalists have been produced as part of a campaign to improve how news sources cover LGBTQIA+ topics. These publications function as cultural artifacts that by their very existence underscore existing discriminatory practices in mainstream media.

The resource lists below include a small selection of recent examples from different organizations. It is essential that these publications are cataloged and preserved before they disappear—as was the case with the report library of Stimul (Стимул), https://www.msk-stimul.eu/library, which is no longer accessible as the archived page in Wayback Machine did not preserve any of the documents.

Online Media Projects

LGBTQIA+ websites have received considerable attention from US institutions engaged in web archiving of endangered content, although far from everything has been captured. Deti-404 (Дети-404), an LGBTQIA+ teen support organization founded by Lena Klimova (Лена Климова) and targeted under the “gay propaganda” law of 2013, received considerable press coverage and was the subject of a documentary film. Because of its prominence, the organization’s website, containing an extensive collection of teen testimonies and a sizable digital library, was thoroughly archived between 2014 and 2016, when it was taken down. Deti-404‘s Facebook account appears still active. Other content disappears more quietly. The parent support project Illuminator (Иллюминатор, http://illuminator.info) has vanished during the writing of this text. The project’s site has been archived in Wayback Machine, but its extensive video library, hosted on Vimeo, is gone. The crowdfunded online queer culture magazine Otkrytye (Открытые), which became a social media-only project after the loss of its website (https://o-zine.ru), also ceased while I was initially compiling the resource list in 2021. Social media plays a central role in people’s lives and is perhaps the most important venue for LGBTQIA+ voices today. These online publications are the most ephemeral and largely resist web archiving efforts. It is not clear how future researchers will be able to access this content.

Core resources

Books: Primary sources: fiction, poetry, autobiographical works

Bagrov, Viktor. 2017. Vytsvelo. Sankt-Peterburg: MRP (Багров, Виктор. 2017. Выцвело. Санкт-Петербург: MRP).

Burzhskaia, Kseniia. 2021. Moi belyi. Moskva: Inspiria (Буржская, Ксения. 2021. Мой белый. Москва: Inspiria).

Chistiakova, Katia. 2020. Tam, na perimetre. Moskva: AST (Чистякова, Катя. 2020. Там, на периметре. Москва: АСТ).

Davydov, Sergei. 2023. Springfild. N.p.: Freedom Letters (Давыдов, Сергей. 2023. Спрингфилд. [Б.м.]: Freedom Letters).

Denisova, Nastia. 2019. Trogali liubili drug druga. Sankt-Peterburg: Poriadok slov (Денисова, Настя. 2019. Трогали любили друг друга. Санкт-Петербург: Порядок слов).

Franko, Mikita. 2020. Dni nashei zhizni. Moskva: Popcorn Books (Франко, Микита. 2020. Дни нашей жизни. Москва: Popcorn Books).

———. 2020. Tetrad’ vkletochku. Moskva: Popcorn Books (———. 2020. Тетрадь в клеточку. Москва: Popcorn Books).

———. 2021. (Devochka)⁰. Moskva: Popcorn Books (———. 2021. (Девочка)⁰. Москва: Popcorn Books).

Gessen, Masha, and Joseph Huff-Hannon, eds. 2014. Gay propaganda: Russian love stories. New York: OR Books.

Karakur, Iurii. 2020. Farfor. Moskva: AST (Каракур, Юрий. 2020. Фарфор. Москва: АСТ).

Khazov-Kassia, Sergei. 2014. Drugoe detstvo. Moskva: Kolonna Publications (Хазов-Кассиа, Сергей. 2014. Другое детство. Москва: Kolonna Publications).

———. 2017. Evangelie ot. Moskva: Kolonna Publications (———. 2017. Евангелие от. Москва: Kolonna publications).

Liubov’ vo vremia karantina. 2020. Moskva: Popcorn Books (Любовь во время карантина). 2020. Москва: Popcorn Books).

Luk’ianova, Svetlana, ed. 2020. Druzhba: rasskazy, napisannye zhenshchinami i nebinarnymi liud’mi. Moskva: WLAG: No Kidding Press (Лукьянова, Светлана, ред. 2020. Дружба: рассказы, написанные женщинами и небинарными людьми. Москва: WLAG: No Kidding Press).

Manichenko, Aleksandr. 2020. Nu ili vot o nezhnosti. Ekaterinburg: Kabinetnyi uchenyi (Маниченко, Александр. 2020. Ну или вот о нежности. Екатеринбург: Кабинетный ученый).

Markin, Aleksandr. 2016. Dnevnik, 2011-2015. Tver’: Kolonna Publications: Mitin zhurnal (Маркин, Александр. 2016. Дневник, 2011-2015. Тверь: Kolonna Publications: Митин журнал).

Martirosian, Georgii. 2021. Esli ia zabudu tebia, Ierusalim: pervaia kniga stikhov. Moskva: ARGO-RISK (Мартиросян, Геогрий. 2021. Если я забуду тебя, Иерусалим: первая книга стихов. Москва: АРГО-РИСК).

Rait, Katia. 2021. Papa. Moskva: Popcorn Books (Райт, Катя. 2021. Папа. Москва: Popcorn Books).

Savel’ev, Igor’. 2020. Kak tebe takoe, Iron Mask?. Moskva: AST (Савельев, Игорь. 2020. Как тебе такое, Iron Mask?. Москва: АСТ).

Shtorn, Evgenii. 2020. #khroniki_bezhenstva. Sankt-Peterburg: Poriadok slov (Шторн, Евгений. 2020. #хроники_беженства. Санкт-Петербург: Порядок слов).

Sil’vanova, Katerina and Elena Malisova. 2021. Leto v pionerskom galstuke. Moskva: Popcorn Books (Сильванова, Катерина и Елена Малисова. 2021. Лето в пионерском галстуке. Москва: Popcorn Books).

———. 2022. O chem molchit lastochka. Moskva: Popcorn Books (———. 2022. О чем молчит ласточка. Москва: Popcorn Books).

Sonin, Maksim. 2019. Pis’ma do polunochi. Moskva: AST (Сонин, Максим. 2019. Письма до полуночи. Москва: АСТ).

Valitov, Timur. 2021. Uglovaia komnata. Moskva: Redaktsiia Eleny Shubinoi: AST (Валитов, Тимур. 2021. Угловая комната. Москва: Редакция Елены Шубиной: АСТ).

Vasiakina, Oksana. 2019. Veter iarosti. Moskva: AST (Васякина, Оксана. 2019. Ветер ярости. Москва: АСТ).

———. 2021. Rana. Mosvka: Novoe literaturnoe obozrenie (———. 2021. Рана. Москва: Новое литературное обозрение). Available in English translation by Elina Alter: Vasyakina, Oksana. 2023. Wound: a novel. New York: Catapult.

Veresk, Iuliia. 2020. Tot samyi. Moskva: Popcorn Books (Вереск, Юлия. 2020. Тот самый. Москва: Popcorn Books).

Zomberg, Miranda. 2022. Byt’ Mirandoi: kak ia stala soboi, izmeniv pol. Moskva: Bombora (Зомберг, Миранда. 2022. Быть Мирандой: как я стала собой, изменив пол. Москва: Бомбора).

Books: Secondary sources

Ivanova, Anastasiia, ed. 2016. Transgendernost’: khristianskii vzgliad. Sankt-Peterburg: LGBT-sluzhenie Nuntiare et Recreare (Иванова, Анастасия, ред. 2016. Трансгендерность: христианский взгляд. Санкт-Петербург: ЛГБТ-служение Nuntiare et Recreare). https://www.nuntiare.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Трансгендерность-Христианский-Взгляд.pdf.

Khoroshilova, Ol’ga. 2021. Russkie travesti vistorii, kul’ture i povsednevnosti. Moskva: Mann, Ivanov, Ferber (Хорошилова, Ольга. 2021. Русские травести в истории, культуре и повседневности. Москва: Манн, Иванов, Фербер).

Kondakov, Aleksandr, ed. 2014. Na pereput’e: metodologiia, teoriia i praktika LGBT i kvir-issledovanii: sbornik statei. Sankt-Peterburg: Tsentr nezavisimykh sotsiologicheskikh issledovanii (Кондаков, Александр, ред. На перепутьe: методология, теория и практика ЛГБТ и квир-исследований: сборник статей. Санкт-Петербург: Центр независимых социологических исследований).

———. 2017. Prestupleniia na pochve nenavisti protiv LGBT v Rossii. Saint Petersburg: Centre for Independent Social Research (———. 2017. Преступления на почве ненависти против ЛГБТ в России. Saint Petersburg: Centre for Independent Social Research). https://ssrn.com/abstract=3084887.

Podcasts

Russian platforms like mave and aggregators like podcast.ru are quickly dropping this content, but it may still be available via services like Apple Podcasts and Castbox, at least until they cave in to Roskomnadzor.

Gei-propaganda (Гей пропаганда): Conversational podcast about gay culture produced by journalist and activist Miloslav Chemodanov (Милослав Чемоданов), launched in November 2020. First season was co-hosted by journalist Renat Davletgildeev (Ренат Давлетгилдеев). As of June 2022, new episodes are produced in the US following Chemodanov’s immigration. Last accessed December 17, 2023.

Gromche! (Громче!): Interview podcast about queer arts, hosted by Leo Veles (Лео Велес) and produced by the queer literary journal Vsluch (Вслух), launched in October 2022. Last accessed May 27, 2023.

Kvir-besedy (Квир-беседы): Non-fictional storytelling podcast about queer lives from the post-Soviet region, hosted by émigré author and critic Konstantin Kropotkin (Константин Кропоткин), produced in Germany and launched in January 2022. Last accessed December 17, 2023.

Kvir’ kul’turu (Квирь культуру): Queer film and arts podcast produced by organizers of the queer film festival “Bok o Bok” («Бок о Бок»), launched in June 2021. Last accessed December 17, 2023.

Kvirkast (Квиркаст): Activist podcast produced by Saint Petersburg NGO LGBT-gruppa “Vykhod” (ЛГБТ-группа «Выход»), launched in February 2019. Last accessed December 17, 2023.

Moi gender segodnia (Мой гендер сегодня): Scholarly interview podcast about gender studies and feminism, hosted by Aleksandr Fokin (Александр Фокин). Seventeen episodes were released between May 2020 and April 2021. Appears defunct. Last accessed December 17, 2023.

My tut (Мы тут): Autobiographical podcast about queer lives in Russia, launched by Rossiiskaia LGBT-set‘ (Российская ЛГБТ-сеть) in October 2023. Last accessed January 8, 2024.

Naraspashku (Нараспашку): Conversational podcast about queer culture produced by the defunct media project Otkrytye (Открытые), launched in October 2020. Hosted by activists and journalists Mariia Latisnskaia (Мария Лацинская), Ekaterina Kudriavtseva (Екатерина Кудрявцева), Slava Rusova (Слава Русова), and Nikita Andriianov (Никита Андриянов). Several hosts have left Russia following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and new episodes are produced irregularly/infrequently. Last accessed January 5, 2024.

Nebinarnyi SSSR (Небинарный СССР): Scholarly interview podcast about Soviet queer history, hosted by Aleksandr Fokin (Александр Фокин). Thirteen episodes were released between June 2020 and July 2021. Appears defunct. Last accessed January 5, 2024.

Po poias v raduge (По пояс в радуге): Monologue podcast about queer history and current affairs by activist Mikhail Suetin (Михаил Суетин), launched in April 2019. Video version on Mikhail Suetin’s YouTube channel. Last accessed December 17, 2023.

Propaganda feminizma (Пропаганда феминизма): Feminist podcast with considerable queer content, hosted by gender historian Anna Sidorevich (Анна Сидоревич) and non-binary activist Kris Gnezdo (Крис Гнездо), launched in April 2020. Last accessed December 17, 2023.

Puti priniatia (Пути принятия): Interview podcast about queer (primarily lesbian) experience in the post-Soviet space, hosted by Kazan’ journalist Lena Dogadina (Лена Догадина), launched in February 2020. Dogadina left Russia following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and continues to produce episodes from abroad. The podcast has been rebranded as Kartofel’ (Картофель) in 2023. Last accessed January 8, 2024.

Raduzhnyi (Радужный): Narrative podcast about queer lives in Russia’s small towns and rural regions, hosted by Sergei Puchkin (Сергей Пучкин), launched in May 2021. Last accessed January 8, 2024.

Tviker (Твикер): Autobiographical podcast about growing up gay in a small Siberian town by Aleksandr Kazantsev (Александр Казанцев), launched in May 2021. Last accessed December 17, 2023.

Vaut (Ваут): Conversational podcast about lesbian culture and social issues, hosted by journalists Alena Nalimova (Алена Налимова) and Katia Nenakhova (Катя Ненахова), launched in December 2021. Last accessed December 17, 2023.

Community Organizations & Festivals

Al’ians geteroseksualov i LGBT za ravnopravie (Альянс гетеросексуалов и ЛГБТ за равноправие): LGBTQIA+ human rights organization for heterosexual allies operating in Saint Petersburg since 2012. Only has social media presence; link is to Facebook page as an example. Last accessed December 17, 2023.

Delo LGBT+: Organization providing legal support to LGBTQIA+ community. Last accessed January 8, 2024.

Federatsiia LGBT-sporta Rossii (Федерация ЛГБТ-спорта России) (archived in Wayback Machine): Association of Russian LGBTQIA + athletes, operating since 2010. Last accessed  December 17, 2023.

Interseks Rossiia/Intersex Russia (Интерсекс Россия): Intersex advocacy organization active since 2017. Last accessed December 17, 2023.

Kvirfest/Queerfest (Квирфест): International festival of queer culture held in Saint Petersburg (currently online) since 2009. Last accessed December 17, 2023.

LaSky: Center for HIV prevention and support for people with HIV, based in Moscow. Last accessed December 17, 2023.

LGBT-gruppa “Vykhod“ / “Coming Out” LGBT Group (ЛГБТ-группа «Выход»): Advocacy and support organization operating in Saint Petersburg since 2008. Last accessed December 17, 2023.

Mezhdunarodnyi kinofestival “Bok o Bok” / Side by Side International Film Festival (Международный кинофестиваль «Бок о Бок»): International LGBTQIA+ film festival held in Saint Petersburg, Moscow, and online since 2008. Last accessed December 17, 2023.

MKTS: Moskovskii kom’iuniti tsentr dlia LGBT+ initsiativ (МКЦ: Московский комьюнити центр для ЛГБТ+ инициатив) (archived in Wayback Machine): Moscow-based LGBTQIA+ organization providing a community space, a shelter, and legal and psychological counseling; also coordinates monitoring of human rights violations. Last accessed December 17, 2023.

Moskovskaia LGBT-initsiativnaia gruppa “Stimul” (Московская ЛГБТ-инициативная группа «Стимул») (archived in Wayback Machine): LGBTQIA+ human rights organization operating in Moscow since 2015. Last accessed January 8, 2024.

Murmanskaia gruppa LGBT+ “Maksimum” (Мурманская группа ЛГБТ+ «Maksimum»)  (archived in Wayback Machine): LGBTQIA+ Human rights organization operating in Murmansk since 2007. Last accessed January 8, 2024.

Proekt pravovoi pomoshchi transgendernym liudiam (Проект правовой помощи трансгендерным людям): Organization providing legal consultation and defense for transgender people and monitoring human rights violations, operating since 2012. Last accessed December 18, 2023.

Resurs LGBTKIA Moskva (Ресурс ЛГБТКИА Москва) (archived in Wayback Machine): LGBTQIA+ advocacy and support group operating in Moscow since 2011. Last accessed December 18, 2023.

Resursnyi tsentr dlia LGBT / Ekaterinburg Social Project for LGBT People (Ресурсный центр для ЛГБТ) (archived in Wayback Machine): Organization offering a community, providing legal and psychological support, and monitoring human rights violations; based in Ekaterinburg. Last accessed January 8, 2024.

Rossiiskaia LGBT-set’ / Russian LGBT Network (Российская ЛГБТ-сеть): Largest and most well-known LGBTQIA+ human rights organization in Russia, active since 2006. Based in Saint Petersburg, and coordinates a network of 13 regional centers. Last accessed December 18, 2023.

Sfera (Сфера): Foundation providing consultation for and coordination of other LGBTQIA+ human rights initiatives, operating since 2011. Last accessed December 18, 2023.

T9 NSK: Trans support organization based in Novosibirisk, operating since 2015. Last accessed December 18, 2023.

Trans-initsiativnaia gruppa “T-Deistvie” / Trans-activist group “T-Action” (Транс-инициативная группа «Т-Действие») (archived in Wayback Machine): Trans advocacy group operating in Saint Petersburg since 2014. Last accessed January 8, 2024.

Trans*koalitsiia na postsovetskom prostranstve / Trans*coalition in the post-Soviet space (Транс*коалиция на постсоветском пространстве): Trans human rights organization uniting activists from Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Uzbekistan and Ukraine, operating since 2013. Last accessed December 18, 2023.

Tsentr T = T Center (Центр Т): Trans support and advocacy organization based in Moscow offering a community space, a shelter, and legal and psychological support. Last accessed December 18, 2023.

Ural Pride Week (archived in Wayback Machine): Pride festival that took place in Ekaterinburg in 2020–2021, organized by Resursnyi tsentr dlia LGBT (Ресурсный центр для ЛГБТ). Last accessed December 18, 2023.

Gray Literature (examples)

IntersexRussia. 2018. Kto takie interseks liudi?. Moskva: IntersexRussia (IntersexRussia. 2018. Кто такие интерсекс люди? Москва: IntersexRussia). https://www.intersexrussia.org/_files/ugd/8f2403_cedeabcf460d48a683c2c92cb928fa1c.pdf.

Karagapolova, Irina and Viacheslav Karagapolov. 2021. Transgendernost’: utverzhdaia raznoobrazie: izbrannye stat’i i lektsii. Sankt-Peterburg: Trans-initsiativnaia gruppa “T-Deistvie” (Карагаполова, Ирина и Вячеслав Карагаполов. 2021. Трансгендерность: утверждая разнообразие: избранные статьи и лекции. Санкт-Петербург: Транс-инициативная группа «Т-Действие»). http://t-action-team.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Трансгендерность_утверждая-разнообразие_И.-и-В.-Карагаполовы.pdf.

LGBT-initsiativnaia gruppa “Vykhod.” 2023. Doklad o polozhenii LGBT+ liudei v Rossii v 2022 godu. N.p.: Vykhod: Sfera (ЛГБТ-инициативная группа «Выход». 2023. Доклад о положении ЛГБТ+ людей в России в 2022 году. [Б.м.]: Выход: Сфера). https://comingoutspb.com/upload/iblock/d17/d1792cea1664070984cfd19a34b69ea5.pdf.

LGBT-kinofestival’ “Bok o Bok.” 2020. Kvir-prostranstvo v Rossii: proshloe, nastoiashchee i budushchee: sbornik statei. N.p.: LGBT-kinofestival’ “Bok o Bok” (ЛГБТ-кинофестиваль «Бок о Бок». 2020. Квир-пространства в России: прошлое, настоящее, будущее: сборник статей. [Б.м.]: ЛГБТ-кинофестиваль «Бок о Бок»).

“Nevidimye”: real’nye istorii LGBT-semei. [2018]. Moskva: Moskovskii kom’iuniti tsentr dlia LGBT+ initsiativ («Невидимые»: реальные истории ЛГБТ-семей. [2018]. Москва: Московский комьюнити центр для ЛГБТ+ инициатив). https://drive.google.com/file/d/1m18O6TjfuuWzVkwfQ8B8uh4-Q4_13P5M/view.

Resursnyi tsentr. 2019. Iа pishu i govoriu o LGBT+ korrektno: vash putevoditel’ po tolerantnomu iazyku. Ekaterinburg: Resursnyi tsentr (Ресурсный центр. 2019. Я пишу и говорю о ЛГБТ+ корректрно: ваш путеводитель по толератному языку. Екатеринбург: Ресурсный центр). https://web.archive.org/web/20200716081623/https://maximum51.org/lib/Ya_pishu_i_govoryu_o_LGBT_korrektno.pdf.

Resursnyi tsentr. [2021?]. Vy gotovy ne molchat’? Monitoring sluchaev narusheniia prav po priznaku SOGI za 2020 god. Ekaterinburg: Resursnyi tsentr (Ресурсный центр. [2021?]. Вы готовы не молчать? Мониторинг случаев нарушения прав по признаку СОГИ за 2020 год. Екатеринбург: Ресурсный центр). https://web.archive.org/web/20230602164713/https://center-r.com/wp-content/uploads/vy-gotovy-ne-molchat-2020.pdf.

Film & Video: Drama

Fenochka, Andrei, dir. 2021. Ia idu iskat’. Fensi prodakshen (Феночка, Андрей, реж. 2021. Я иду искать. Фенси продакшен). Russian with English subtitles. YouTube video, 56 min (nine episodes). The playlist page has been archived in Wayback Machine (https://web.archive.org/web/20230315153855/https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX_ysH5jGc2GjLUHmfHBl6nHwMSYvDbnY), but as of December 2023, the web series has been removed from the creators’ YouTube channel.

Galkin, Seva, dir. 2020. Fanaty (Галкин, Сева, реж. 2020. Фанаты). Russian. YouTube video, 25 min. Last accessed December 18, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VngcfB59Dzc.

———. 2014. Porok serdtsa (———. 2014. Порок сердца). 2014. Russian with English subtitles. YouTube video, 18 min. Last accessed December 18, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ssuzgr1SeTI.

Gordeeva, Valentina, dir. 2019. Rehearsal. Russian and English with English subtitles. 13 min.

Guts, Boris, dir. 2018. Fagot (Гуц, Борис, реж. 2018. Фагот). Russian with English subtitles. 61 min.

Pecherskii, Maksim, dir. 2020. God beloi luny (Печерский, Максим, реж. 2020. Год белой луны). Russian. 22 min.

Sherstobitov, Il’ia, dir. Ono (Шерстобитов, Илья, реж. 2018. ОНо). Soul Production. Russian with English subtitles. YouTube video, 11 min. Last accessed December 18, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTjFY_YQHqg.

Sigaleva, Svetlana, dir. 2020. Plokhaia doch’ (Сигалева, Светлана, реж. 2020. Плохая дочь). Russian. YouTube video, 24 min. Last accessed December 18, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBi3TtFGcnc.

Sukhorukova, Inga, dir. 2019. Sup (Сухорукова, Инга, реж. 2019. Суп). Russian. YouTube video, 11 min. Last accessed December 18, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWq24AE1rmU.

Film & Video: Documentary

Alieva, Alina, dir. 2017. Ty mal’chik ili devochka? (Алиева, Алина, реж. 2017. Ты мальчик или девочка?). Russian with English subtitles. YouTube video, 47 min. As of December 2023, the film has been removed from the creator’s YouTube channel. Archived in Wayback Machine: https://web.archive.org/web/20210518162624/https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=-ez07nBU2P8.

Filippova, Anna, Masha Latsinskaia and Katia Nenakhova. 2020. Davai s”ezzhat’sia (Филиппова, Анна, Маша Лацинская и Катя Ненахова. 2020.  Давай съезжаться!). Russian. YouTube video, 335 min (9 episodes). As of December 2023, the web series has been removed from the creators’ YouTube channel. The playlist page has been archived in Wayback Machine: https://web.archive.org/web/20220611223801/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBnMpXnuI0HGZkdx9KxOUCQ.

Kubasov, Dmitrii, dir. 2016. Babochki (Кубасов, Дмитрий, реж. 2016. Бабочки). Russian. 79 min.

Kurov, Askol’d and Pavel Loparev, dirs. 2019. Deti 404 / Children 404 (Куров, Аскольд и Павел Лопарев, реж. 2019. Дети 404 / Children 404). Russian with English subtitles. New York: Torch Films. YouTube video, 76 min. Last accessed December 18, 2023.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaUucGoErnw.

Mikheeva, Katia, dir. 2020. Pogovorim? (Михеева, Катя, реж. 2020. Поговорим?). Russian. Vimeo video, 5 min. Last accessed December 18, 2023.  https://vimeo.com/466942990.

Pavlova, Mariia, Anna Smit’ko, dirs., and Karen Shainian, prod. 2021-. Kvir prosvet (Павлова, Мария, Анна Шмитько, реж., и Карен Шаинян, прод. 2021-. Квир просвет). Russian. YouTube video, 123 min (7 episodes as of December 18, 2023). https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgNBPM5oMiVpDK2tNhkbVlA0xqf_zneB.

———. 2021-. Kvirografiia / Queerography (———. 2021-. Квирография / Queerography). Russian with English subtitles. YouTube video, 468 min (8 episodes as of December 2023). https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgNBPM5oMiVrX2AqrQOMsjgZX7Fnwbc7Q.

———. 2020-. Otkrytyi razgovor s veselymi liud’mi / Straight Talk with Gay People (———. 2020-. Открытый разговор с веселыми людьми / Straight Talk with Gay People). Russian with English subtitles. YouTube video, 1,925 min (33 episodes as of December 2023). https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgNBPM5oMiVpZmbwLrUB5qkG4G7ASPJUr.

Pogrebizhskaia, Elena, dir. (Погребижская, Елена, реж.). 2022. Doctors and parents were deciding who to make out of me: a boy or a girl. Intersex people in Russia. Russian with English subtitles. YouTube video, 85 min. Last accessed December 18, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCGlQjajANg&t=2s.

Rudnitskaia, Alina, dir. 2015. Den’ pobedy / Victory day (Рудницкая, Алина, реж. 2015. День победы / Victory day). New York: Grasshopper Film. Russian with English subtitles. Alexander Street Press, 30 min. Last accessed December 18, 2023. https://video.alexanderstreet.com/watch/victory-day.

Sedliarova, Katerina, dir. 2020. Nikogda nikomu ob etom ne rasskazyvai (Седлярова, Катерина, реж. 2020. Никогда никому об этом не рассказывай). Produced by BBC News Russian Service. Russian with English subtitles. YouTube video, 38 min. Last accessed December 18, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rbdH88ulmE.

Шалая, Анастасия, реж. 2021. Здравствуй, я (Shalaia, Anastasiia, dir. 2021. Zdravstvui, ia). Russian with English subtitles. YouTube video, 30 min. Last accessed December 18, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg5NFN_Tfa0.

Online Media Projects (examples)

Biseksual’nyi chetverg (Бисексуальный четверг): Telegram channel of bisexual activist Aleksei Sergeev (Алексей Сергеев). Last accessed December 18, 2023.

Deputat Sergei Troshin (Депутат Сергей Трошин): Telegram channel of openly gay Saint Petersburg city council member Sergei Troshin (Сергей Трошин). Last accessed May 27, 2023.

Deti-404 (Дети-404): Facebook page of famed LGBTQIA+ adolescent support project, active since 2013. Last accessed December 18, 2023.

Gei i Dinamit (Гей и Динамит): Telegram channel of activist and journalist Renat Davletgil’deev (Ренат Давлетгильдеев). Last accessed December 18, 2023.

Guttapercha (Гуттаперча): Telegram channel of information portal for and about trans people, active since 2018. Last accessed December 18, 2023.

Igor’ Kochetkov (Игорь Кочетков): Telegram channel of veteran activist Igor’ Kochetov (Игорь Кочетов). Last accessed December 18, 2023.

Konstantin Kropotkin (Константин Кропоткин): Telegram channel of author and literary critic Konstantin Kropotkin (Константин Кропоткин), based in Berlin. Former home of his project Sodom i Umora (Содом и Умора), focusing on queer books and film. Last accessed January 8, 2024.

Kvir-ekran (Квир-экран): Telegram channel of film critic Stasia Korotkova (Стася Короткова) focusing on queer themes in Russian and Soviet cinema. Last accessed December 18, 2023.

Lesbiiskoe lobbi (Лейсбийское лобби): Telegram channel of journalist and activist Maria Latsinskaia (Мария Лацинская) focusing on queer women. Last accessed December 18, 2023.

LiuBI (ЛюБИ): Facebook page of bisexual rights activist group. Last accessed January 8, 2024.

Muzei istorii LGBT v Rossii (Музей истории ЛГБТ в России): Website of project aimed at popularizing and Russian queer history; partners with privately held archive Arkiv lesbiianok i geev (Архив лесбиянок и геев). Appears to be moribund. Last accessed December 18, 2023.

Neznanie (Незнание): Website of independent online literary journal, founded in 2019 by authors Arina Boiko (Арина Бойко), Liza Kamenskaia (Лиза Каменская), and Sania Guseva (Саня Гусева), focused on publishing works by queer authors, women, and other marginalized people. Last accessed December 18, 2023.

Parni+ (Парни+): Website of project originally focused on sexual health and family relationships of gay men, currently widely covering LGBTQIA+ culture and social issues. Last accessed December 18, 2023.

Pomyla ruki (Помыла руки): Telegram channel of sex education activist Sasha Kazantseva (Саша Казанцева). Last accessed December 18, 2023.

Russia for gays / Rossiia dlia geev (Россия для геев): TikTok channel of gay rights activist Fedor Fetisov (Федор Фетисов). Last accessed January 8, 2024.

Tetki (Тётки): Instagram project aimed at reclaiming Russian gay male history by activist Nikita Andriianov (Никита Андриянов). Last accessed December 18, 2023.

Uraniia (Урания): Website of online magazine about Russian (primarily pre-revolutionary) queer history. Appears to be moribund. Last accessed May 27, 2023.

Vslkukh: literaturnyi kvir-zhurnal (Вслух: литературный квир-журнал): Website of independent online literary journal dedicated to queer art and literature. Last accessed May 27, 2023.

Recommended Readings

Katsuba, Sergey. 2023. “The Decade of Violence: A Comprehensive Analysis of Hate Crimes Against LGBTQ in Russia in the Era of the “Gay Propaganda Law” (2010–2020).” Victims & Offenders https://doi.org/10.1080/15564886.2023.2167142.

Kondakov, Alexander. 2022. Violent affections: queer sexuality, techniques of power, and law in Russia. London: UCL Press. https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10153556/1/Violent-Affections.pdf.

Kotova, Polina and Daniil Zhaivoronok. 2023. LGBT+ People in Russia: 2022 Full Report. Coming Out; Sphere. https://spherequeer.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/LGBT-in-Russia-full-report-2022-en.pdf.

Miazhevich, Galina, ed. 2022. Queering Russian Media and Culture. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.

OVD-Info. 2023. “‘An Ideology for War’: Why Putin Needs Queerphobia Today.” OVD-Info, November 30, 2023. https://en.ovdinfo.org/queerphobia.

Vasyakina, Oksana. 2023. Wound: a novel. Translated by Elina Alter. New York: Catapult.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Amy Ellen Banks Fader for providing invaluable comments on several drafts of this chapter.

References

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