INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
A Russian authorities who resigned after a federal legislator implicated him of remaining in a relationship with a male hasfled the country
and denounced Moscowâ $ s war against Ukraine.In April, State Duma deputy Alexander Khinshtein outed Denis Leontovich, an ex-employee of
the Samara regionâ $ s youth policy company, as a member of what he declared to be a â $ secret gay lobbyâ $ that affects young
Russians. Khinshteinâ $ s accusations follow Russiaâ $ s Supreme Court judgment last November that designated a vaguely defined â $
worldwide LGBT public movementâ $ as a banned â $ extremistâ $ company
Civil liberties activists state the â $ extremistâ $ label allows the Russian authorities to prosecute anyone connected to LGBTQ+
lifestyles or symbols. â $ Itâ $ s been 6 months given that my forced exile [when] I had to choose to leave Russia in one day because I
began getting real dangers, â $ Leontovich, 23, composed on the social networks site Vkontakte in early October.â $ Iâ $ ve been required
to develop my life from scratch in other countries and cities, â $ Leontovich included
â $ Why? Just due to the fact that my own state doesnâ $ t accept me as a human being [or] my sexual preference
To them, Iâ $ m an extremist, a traitor and a criminal just because I was born gay.â $ Leontovich accused the Russian government of
declaring pro-peace Russians â $ opponents of the stateâ $ instead of â $ the president who annexes other peopleâ $ s territories and
begins an absolutely dreadful war with a surrounding country.â $
