It has been two years since Russia began cracking down on the “LGBT movement”

On November 30, 2023, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation designated the nonexistent “international LGBT social movement” as an extremist organization. Since then, Russian courts have issued more than a hundred convictions for “participating” in this mythical movement or simply for displaying queer symbols—including the rainbow flag. Dozens of people found themselves facing administrative and criminal charges solely because of their sexual orientation or gender identity—whether real or imposed by the authorities.

Although the World Health Organization as early as 1990 excluded Homosexuality was removed from the list of mental disorders (and transgender identity in 2019), but in Russia—where elderly politicians are in power—stereotypes die hard. According to survey According to a 2021 VTsIOM survey, nearly a quarter of Russians—tens of millions of people—still consider LGBTQ+ people to be “sick” and in need of medical treatment. State propaganda echoes this rhetoric, equating queer people with pedophiles and extremists. Under the guise of concern for “morality” and “protecting children,” the authorities justify systematic persecution.

A network of "rehabilitation centers" run by the LGBT community

But words are just the beginning. The country has an entire network "rehabilitation centers" and "psychological workshops" that promise to "correct" homosexuality or "cure" transgender identity. People are often forcibly taken there send Relatives: Patients are isolated, subjected to “spiritual rehabilitation,” and forced to take psychotropic drugs, undergo hypnosis, and undergo other coercive procedures. Human rights activists are documenting cases of torture and abuse—all carried out under the guise of “help.”

"New Europe" magazine reported in a new article...how the Russian state normalizes the idea of “treating” LGBTQ+ people, and how the language of “illness” becomes a justification for violence. Queer people who have suffered at the hands of these “specialists” described what happened to them as a result of this so-called “help.”

For years, Nade, a psychologist, instilled in him a sense of revulsion toward his own feelings. Igor, a transgender man, spent 555 days in a closed “rehabilitation center” and, in his own words, came out of there “looking like someone from a concentration camp.”