LGBTs have often been a target of violence in Russia, garnering the attention of human rights groups around the world.
But since the country passed its newest law banning gay “propaganda” last fall, those attacks have increased, according to the Russian LGBT Network.
“The latest laws against so-called gay propaganda, first in the regions and then on the federal level, have essentially legalized violence against LGBT people, because these groups of hooligans justify their actions with these laws,” Igor Kochetkov, the head of the network, told the United Kingdom’s The Guardian. “With this legislation, the government said that, yes, gays and lesbians are not valued as a social group.”
A recent documentary displays the violent acts upon LGBTs by vigilante gangs and shows many members of the LGBT community in Russia speaking out against the terrors that have increased since the “propaganda” law was signed.
One attack involved a man who was trapped, pinned, beaten and then forced to admit he was gay on camera. Another violent attack involved a transgender woman who was taken to a rural area of St. Petersburg, raped, beaten and had two toenails removed with pliers.
It was reported that in the month before the federal anti-gay “propaganda” law was signed, there were at least three murders allegedly associated with homophobia. The documentary highlights and goes into detail on how people of the LGBT community are “hunted like animals,” causing only about 1% of gays to live completely open in Russia.
One man, going only by “Robert,” told The Guardian that he avoided a torturous encounter after becoming suspicious during an online encounter.
“They tried to trick me into a meeting, but I immediately saw the ruse,” he told the paper. He said he learned the person wanting to meet him was part of Occupy Gerontophilia, a notable anti-gay group.
In 2013, the Russian LGBT Network, based out of St. Petersburg, conducted an anonymous survey, which produced alarming results about the discrimination toward the LGBT community present in Russia. It was said out of the 2,007 participants—more than 50%—have experienced psychological abuse, while 15% experienced physical violence.
Despite these numbers, only 6% of those victims contacted the police or authorities. This is what many LGBT persons living in Russian have said, claiming even if reported that the authorities will just pay no mind.
One group, which is made-up of more than 37 groups across Russia, calls itself “Occupy Paedophilia,” which began terrorizing LGBT Russians in 2012. The group says it is enacting a “social movement,” and that it protects children by fighting against pedophiles.
State-sponsored news outlets have used anti-LGBT language on-air, and refer to Russia’s LGBT community as “perverts” or “sodomites.” Others just say LGBTs are “abnormal.”
Human Rights Watch, a global equality group, has released several videos criticizing Russia’s laws. Kochetokov has participated in several of them.
“These are fascists who have chosen the easier prey, which are gay people,” Kochetkov says in one video.
The video discusses specific acts of violence against gay people, including an account of one may being raped with a broken bottle, which was caught on film.
In November just a few months after the new law took effect, the popular gay club Central Station in Moscow was targeted in two separate attacks in November.
On Nov. 23, unknown assailants released a toxic gas inside the club, which was packed with nearly 500 people. Employees were able to vent the gas. The club’s owner told QueerRussia.com that the attacks could be connected to the building’s owner.
A week earlier, two gunmen opened fire in the club, causing damage, but not injuring any patrons. So far, there has been no arrests in either incident.
