People do not become gay, people are born gay.”Ī newspaper editor in Khabarovsk was also fined under the law after he ran an article about gay rights activist Alexander Yermoshkin, who said he had been assaulted and forced to quit his job because of his sexuality.Īctivists have said the legislation has resulted in increased harassment and violence against LGBT people, especially teenagers. Later that year, gay rights campaigner Nikolai Alexeyev and fellow activist Yaroslav Yevtushenko became the first people to be fined under the law after they stood outside a library in Arkhangelsk with banners that said: “Gay propaganda does not exist. Putin signed the law against gay propaganda in June 2013. Klimova said she also intends to appeal against this ruling. The court said it would have the state communications watchdog block the page, but it has remained accessible. At the request of the local prosecutor general’s office, a court in St Petersburg in March found Deti-404 guilty of gay propaganda and ruled that its VK page should be blacklisted. The group has recently come under attack by the authorities and pro-Kremlin activists. Nearly every day, young people write in with stories and photographs – with their faces and names often hidden – describing the harassment, beatings and confusion they suffer due to their sexuality.
With parents and teachers often unsympathetic or even hostile, Deti-404 (Children-404) is one of the few platforms for Russian teenagers to discuss LGBT issues in a safe space.