‘I will pretend not to be me’: Russia cracks down on LGBTQ+ community
Cross-posted from: feddit.de/post/7946681
Ever since Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Russian leader launched a fresh effort to promote what he called “traditional values”, making anti-gay rhetoric one of the cornerstones of his political agenda.
The Kremlin is directly linking the crackdown on LGBTQ+ expression with its justification for the war, said Shainyan, telling its citizens that Russia was not only fighting Ukraine, but was involved in a broader, existential battle against western liberal values it often describes as “satanic”.
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