A Russian university is said to have threatened a student with expulsion after his pink phone case and membership in pro-LGBT social media groups fueled suspicions about his alleged sexual orientation.
The reported threats made by Ural State University of Economics (USUE) administrators in Russia’s fourth-largest city of Yekaterinburg come six years after the Russian government banned “homosexual propaganda” toward minors. Authorities in Russia have used the law to block pride parades and rights activists say homophobic attacks have become more frequent, despite recent polling suggesting that attitudes toward equal rights for LGBT groups have reached their highest level in years.
“We tracked your social media, here are the printouts: You’re gay,” the unnamed USUE student’s coursemates recounted its vice president’s words in comments to the regional eanews.ru news website.
The student told the outlet that the vice president pointed to his pink phone as further evidence of his homosexuality.
“The fact that I have a girlfriend, in his opinion, is not an excuse and doesn’t prove that I’m not gay,” the student was quoted as saying Tuesday.
Roman Krasnov, the school’s vice president for disciplinary work, confirmed that USUE has a group that monitors its students’ social media pages. “We’re a state university so we look at our students’ moral character,” eanews.ru quoted him as saying.
“Why shouldn't our youth policy and social departments be looking at what our students do outside class time?” he added.
Krasnov later told state-run media that he “never planned” to expel the student and called the media reports about his threats “incorrect.”
The university also said that complaints from fellow students had prompted the monitoring group to check his page.
“The USUE student did have a link to the LGBT community on his personal page, which counts as public propaganda,” its press service said.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
