INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
to.Russian riot police detained gay rights activist during World Day Against Homophobia and Transophobia in Saint Petersburg in 2019.Olga
saying its landlord refused to extend its rental contract due to the potential implications of the new ban.Other bars have continued working
but removed all references to LGBT lifestyles and symbols in decorations and signs as well as on social media.It wasn't always this way,
said Ivan, who opened his bar over a decade ago during a brief period of relative liberalization toward the LGBT community in
Russia.Homosexual acts were decriminalized in 1991, and the country removed homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses in 1999.Back
then, Ivan recalled, his bar would regularly be featured in local lifestyle magazines
When the first law against LGBT propaganda toward minors was enforced in 2013, this media coverage ceased.Since then, the bar has relied on
word of mouth to draw customers
a poster featuring the portraits of drag artists
room is empty on a recent Thursday night
the young men said some of their friends are too afraid to come out of fear of possible police raids.The new ban did not come as a shock to
criticizing LGBT activists
her version revolves around one of the sisters falling in love with a married woman.Maria has incorporated metaphors in her shows to avoid
explains Maria, who asked to have her name changed due to safety concerns
case someone asks her why there are only women in the show, she is used to replying that there has been a shortage of men due to the ongoing
war in Ukraine.Maria said she is waiting to see how the new LGBT ban will be enforced, but that she thinks it is unlikely to significantly
30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government
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