SEVEN YEARS ON FROM THE INTRODUC-TION OF THE SO-CALLED HOMOSEXUAL PROPAGANDA LAW, VLADA NEBO REPORTS ON A QUEER REVOLUTION TAKING PLACE IN RUSSIA 

PHOTOS MIKHAIL VETLOV, LGBT FILM FESTIVAL SIDE BY SIDE ARCHIVE, ARTEM EMELIANOV

The oppression of the LGBTQI+ community in Russia is common knowledge – 2013’s “homosexual propaganda” law has been reported on at length in the world’s media.

With every homophobic attack and prosecution of activists, such as Yulia Tsvetkova, it seems, seven years on, the situation is getting worse. But something you won’t hear about in the news is the thriving underground queer scene, which encompasses film, music, magazines, festivals and small businesses. Russian queer culture is unique both in its semi-illegal mode of existence and the mix of influences under which it was formed; often inspired by western queer culture, but finding a unique language and mode of expression based on Russian history, literature and popular culture.

In the 90s, queer culture made it into the mainstream for the first time. With the fall of the Soviet Union, subsequent decriminalisation of homosexuality and a general atmosphere of freedom, queerness found a place in pop culture. This was especially evident within the music scene – popular bands featured samesex relationships, drag performance and androgyny. However, queerness was largely stereotyped and profited from – think t.A.T.u. While depictions of queerness on TV provided representation, they hardly fostered understanding or promoted equality. In society, queerness existed as a halfsecret; a subculture with its own code signs. After the introduction of the “homosexual propaganda” law which, in effect, erased the community from the public eye, rates of homophobia skyrocketed and fostering queer culture became even harder.