Russian authorities have banned the world’s largest anime and manga platform MyAnimeList over “extremist” LGBTQ+ content, state media reported Tuesday.
Federal media watchdog Roskomnadzor placed MyAnimeList into its national blacklist of sites banned in Russia last Wednesday without citing a formal reason. Russian users attempting to access the site now receive an error message.
MyAnimeList is a global online platform dedicated to Japanese animation and comics with around 20 million users.
Roskomnadzor cited “systematic placement of materials containing information propagating non-traditional sexual relations and/or preference” for its decision in comments to the state-run news agency RIA Novosti.
Roskomnadzor said the ban could be reversed if the Tokyo-based platform removes the content deemed unlawful in Russia.
Russia has previously banned several anime titles. In 2021, a St. Petersburg court prohibited online distribution of titles including “Death Note,” “Tokyo Ghoul” and “Inuyashiki,” citing concerns that teens were re-enacting violent scenes from the cartoons.
The government has for years pursued measures against LGBTQ+ expression under “gay propaganda” laws that first passed in 2013 and were expanded in the years since.
In late 2023, Russia’s Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling declaring the so-called “international LGBT public movement” to be an “extremist organization.”
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