Russia has labeled the “LGBT movement” as an extremist and terrorist organization, according to state media reports on Friday. This decision follows a ruling by Russia’s Supreme Court in November that classified LGBT activists as extremists, causing concern among representatives of the gay and transgender community about potential arrests and prosecutions.
According to Reuters, the list of extremist and terrorist organizations, managed by an agency called Rosfinmonitoring, includes over 14,000 individuals and entities with frozen bank accounts. The list ranges from Al Qaeda to tech giant Meta and associates of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
The recent addition specifically mentions the “international LGBT social movement and its branches,” as reported by state news agency RIA. President Vladimir Putin’s administration has been emphasizing traditional family values and imposing stricter regulations on expressions of sexual orientation and gender identity over the past decade. This includes laws against promoting “non-traditional” sexual relations and prohibiting legal or medical gender changes.
