"My mother wanted to send me to the army as a conversion therapy." How Repression, Anxiety, and Insecurity Are Becoming the 'New Normal' for Queer People

To mark the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia, human rights organizations (the LGBTQ+ group “Vykhod” and the “Sfera” Foundation) released their annual report on the situation of queer people in Russia. More than 6,000 people from across the country participated in the 2025 study. Its main conclusion: repression and violence are no longer shocking but have become “the normalization of catastrophe.” Harassment is becoming an everyday occurrence, and the community is retreating further and further into the shadows.

Doberman Media summarizes the main points this report.

The Shift Toward the “Normalization” of Repression

Experts describe 2025 as a period when the Russian queer community shifted from a state of shock to one of adaptation amid constant pressure. Whereas new restrictions used to provoke a strong reaction, risks and limitations are now perceived as part of everyday life.

As a result, the queer infrastructure in Russia is rapidly shrinking: there are fewer and fewer in-person events, and those that remain are either disguised or held behind closed doors. LGBTQ people themselves are adopting a strategy of “invisibility”: 94% опрошенных признались, что прибегают к самоцензуре regarding their identity.

Violence and “Conversion Therapy”

The level of violence remains consistently high: 41% участников опроса подвергались насилию because of their identity throughout 2025. Moreover, the perpetrators are often not only strangers on the street, but also former friends or family members.

Physical abuse Six percent of respondents had experienced this. One of the individuals featured in the report, an 18-year-old gay man from the Kursk Region, recounted how, after he came out, a former friend beat him until he lost consciousness and left him lying near a swamp for 15 hours.

Blackmail and Extortion Около 10% опрошенных пострадали от шантажа. В Москве бармена японского ресторана коллега пытался заставить платить за молчание об ориентации; после отказа сотрудника избили, а руководство встало на сторону агрессоров.

Conversion Therapy 2% респондентов столкнулись с попытками «лечения» их ориентации или гендерной идентичности. 18-летний транс-мужчина из Карачаево-Черкесии сообщил, что бабушка насильно отправляла его к психиатру, где ему навязывали прием таблеток.

Vulnerability Before the Law and Informing

By 2025, the state had firmly established itself as a source of threat rather than protection. На 1% опрошенных (почти 70 человек) были написаны доносы. The consequences for them were severe: 19% faced dismissal or expulsion, 10% faced disciplinary proceedings, and 7% — criminal.

“My ex… wanting to get revenge, reported me to the prosecutor’s office, providing screenshots of my Instagram posts. Officers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs took me away and opened two cases against me: for ‘propaganda’ and ‘extremist symbols.’ I paid a fine of 102,000 rubles. Investigators were tailing me; they even came to my university when I was defending my thesis,” says the 25-year-old Muscovite.

The Poverty Line and Discrimination in the Workplace

The economic situation for queer people is getting worse. 23% респондентов заявили, что могут позволить себе только покупку еды. Transgender people remain the most vulnerable group, especially following the ban on changing official documents.

Многие не могут найти работу из-за несоответствия внешности и паспортных данных. Около 29% респондентов (и 55% среди несовершеннолетних) ощущали давление на работе или учебе. Дискриминация проявляется в форме травли, отказов в приеме на работу или прямых увольнений.

Denial of Medical Care

Доля тех, кто избегает врачей из страха столкнуться с гомофобией или трансфобией, за год выросла до 35%. Те же, кто решается обратиться в больницу, нередко сталкиваются с насилием или отказом в лечении.

A 44-year-old transgender woman from the Arkhangelsk Region describes a tragic incident: after she was suspected of having a stroke, paramedics took her to the hospital, but there she They refused to admit her to the hospital because they didn't know which ward to place her in — classified as male based on her passport or as female based on her appearance. In the end, the woman was simply turned away, and she was forced to seek treatment on her own online, which led to serious health consequences.

War as a Tool of Pressure

Война в Украине затронула 83% опрошенных, и в 2025 году это влияние ощущалось даже сильнее, чем в начале вторжения. Для ЛГБТК-людей армия стала формой угрозы и «наказания».

A 19-year-old trans woman from the Kaluga Region quotes her mother as saying, “They wanted to send me to the army as a form of conversion therapy.”

Another soldier from Kaliningrad says his family is hoping he’ll die in the war so they can collect the benefits: “They’ll kill you, you faggot, and I’ll get the money.”

What's next?

Experts’ forecasts for 2026 remain pessimistic. Russia ranks 148th out of 203 countries on the Global Safety Index for LGBTQ+ People, with the lowest safety rating (F). Human rights advocates note the “double burden” on queer people’s budgets: they now have to spend extra money on safety, finding “LGBTQ-friendly” doctors, and preparing for emigration—opportunities for which are also dwindling.

The situation in Russia is characterized as a systemic vulnerability, where legal pressure is combined with social stigmatization, forcing people to live in a state of constant paranoia and anxiety.