Queerness as Extremism: The Assault on LGBTQ+ Rights in Russia

In November 2023, Russia outlawed the so-called "international LGBT movement" as extremist. The decision followed a recent anti-trans ban and the expansion of the anti-"gay propaganda" law in 2022. These decisions are the result of more than a decade of consistent anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, which scholars have called President Vladimir Putin’s "war on queerness."

In a lecture at University College London, Olga Doletskaya, an anthropologist studying contemporary queer lives in Russia, contextualizes the anti-LGBTQ+ crackdown by looking at Russia’s recent queer history and explains what the extremist designation means for the LGBTQ+ community in Russia.

This lecture at University College London is part of a series of talks by media professionals and experts on Russia organized by The Moscow Times at leading universities and research centers around the world.