Who Controls a Gay Rsian Teen-ager’s Story? | The New Yorker

Contents:

• WHO CONTROLS A GAY RSIAN TEEN-AGER’S STORY?
• MEET THE GAY RSIAN TEENAGER USG TWTER TO COMBAT HOMOPHOBIA

WHO CONTROLS A GAY RSIAN TEEN-AGER’S STORY?

”Over the last two s, Rsian Print Vladimir Put has waged an all-out asslt on the LGBTQ muny, amg as part of a larger mpaign to protect Rsia’s “tradnal culture” om what he scrib as an onslght of morn valu promoted by the has lled genr fluidy “a crime agast humany, ” and equated homosexualy wh pedophilia. A “gay propaganda” law passed Rsia 2013 ma illegal to promote gay rights and has been ed to jail activists and shut down LGBTQ support groups. And durg a seri of anti-gay purg Rsia’s Mlim-majory Chechen Republic, which officials kidnapped, tortured and some s killed men spected of havg sex wh other men, the Kreml turned a bld the same time, life for LGBTQ people Ukrae has slowly been, wh tens of thoands of Rsian troops encirclg major Ukraian ci, gay, lbian and transgenr people are worried about what a Rsian takeover might mean for them.

As Put has ma gay people the boogeymen for all of Rsia’s ills, Reid said, he has also fueled “a monstrable crease discrimatn and vlence. Yura Dvizhon, a director who helps n Ukrae’s annual gay pri celebratn.

(Courty Yura Dvizhon) “If we were unr Rsian le, we’d have to shut our mouths, we wouldn’t be able to drs how we want, we would never have gay pri, ” said Yura Dvizhon, 29, a well-known Ukraian director. (Daniel Leal / AFP via Getty Imag) Ukrae was never a utopia for gays and transgenr people, Dvizhon marriage is illegal Ukrae, LGBTQ people are not protected by anti-discrimatn laws, and the fluential Christian Orthodox Church views homosexualy as a s. Last year’s annual gay pri para Kyiv drew 7, 000 people — a victory, even if police were lled to fend off anti-gay protters.

MEET THE GAY RSIAN TEENAGER USG TWTER TO COMBAT HOMOPHOBIA

Opn polls show Ukraians have bee more acceptg of gay rights over the last .