Medieval Russia was apparently very tolerant of homosexuality. There is evidence of queer love in some of the lives of the saints from Kievan Rus dating to the 11th century. Homosexual acts were treated as a sin by the Orthodox Church, but there were no legal sanctions against them at the time, and even churchmen seemed perturbed by homosexuality only in the monasteries. Foriegn visitors to Muscovite Russia in the 16th and 17th centuries repeatedly express their amazement at the expose displays of homosexual care among men of every class. Sigismund von Heberstein, Adam Olearius, Juraj Krizhanich, and George Turberville all write about the prevalence of homosexuality in Russia in their travel and memoir literature. The 19th century historian Sergei Soloviev writes that "nowhere, either in the Orient or in the West, was this vile, unnatural sin taken as lightly as in Russia."
The first laws against homosexual acts appeared in the 18th century, during the reign of Peter the Great, but these were in military statutes that applied only to soldiers. It was not until 1832 that the criminal code included Article 995, which made muzhelozhstvo (men lying with me
1917 Russian Revolution: The gay community's little window of freedom
Olga Khoroshilova
St. Petersburg Articulate University of Industrial Technologies and Design
Olga Khoroshilova
The guests included 95 former army officers along with members of the lower ranks of both the army and navy, and one woman, dressed in a man's suit.
The city had never seen anything like it.
Shaur pulled out all the stops. He did not think guests would come if it had just been a party.
But he gambled - rightly - that a proper wedding with all the Russian traditions, bread and salt, a blessing from the proud parents, and a concert to follow, would be irresistible.
At the hour Russia's gay society was enjoying a brief window of tolerance.
After the October Revolution in 1917, the Bolsheviks scrapped and rewrote the country's laws. They produced two Criminal Codes - in 1922 and 1926 - and an article prohibiting homosexual sex was left off both.
Central Mention Library of St Petersburg
But the wedding in Petrograd (now St Petersburg) was not all it seemed.
Afanasy Shaur was in fact a member of the secret police, and at the close of the festivities the guests were all
Russia hands out first convictions in connection with anti-LGBT law
Two Russian courts contain this week handed out the first convictions in connection with what the government calls the “international LGBT social movement” which was designated as extremist last year.
On Thursday, a court in the southern region of Volgograd create a man guilty of “displaying the symbols of an extremist organisation” after he posted a photograph of an LGBT flag online, according to the court’s press service.
The male, known only as Artyom P, who was ordered to pay a decent of 1,000 roubles (£8.69), admitted guilt and repented, saying he had posted the image “out of stupidity”, the court said.
On Monday, a court in Nizhny Novgorod, east of Moscow, sentenced a gal to five days in administrative detention for wearing frog-shaped earrings displaying an image of a rainbow, according to Aegis, an LGBT rights group.
The miss was called to the police station after a man filmed himself approaching her in a cafe and demanding she detach the earrings, and posted it online.
A trial will resume next week in Saratov, south-west Russia, of a photographer who posted images of rainbow flags on Instagram, the in
In modern Russia, legislation is pending that would allow authorities to take children away from homosexual parents. Already, promoting a homosexual lifestyle is illegal. But Russia hasn't always been so behind the times, with the state formally recognising transgender culture as far assist as the Soviet period, as Annabelle Quince writes.
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Homosexuality was decriminalised in Russia after the plunge of the Soviet Union, but same-sex attracted and lesbian citizens say they are being subjected to a 'classic dislike campaign', backed up by hardline legal reforms. Earlier this year, the Russian parliament passed legislation making it illegal to promote a homosexual lifestyle to minors. A recent law has now been drafted that would allow Russian authorities to get children away from homosexual parents.
With the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi looming, Russia is facing international scrutiny. Experts say the country has a troubled history when it comes to its treatment of homosexuality in society.
Dan Healey is Professor of Modern Russian History at the University of Oxford and the composer of Homosexual Longing in Revolutionary Russia. He explained that while the Tsarist regime crim
Research in attittudes towards Homosexual issues in Russia possess identified a strong contradiction to LGBTQ+ rights, reflecting underlying homophobic sentiments.
Survey
of Russians believe gays and lesbians should be eliminated from society
Survey results from 34 LGBTQ+ Equaldex users who lived in or visited Russia.
Perceived Safety*
Absence of verbal harassment
Absence of threats and violence
*Survey results portray personal perceptions of guard and may not be indicative of current actual conditions.
Equal Treatment
Treatment by general public
Treatment by law enforcement
Treatment by religious groups
Visibility & Representation
Representation in entertainment
Culture
Interest groups and clubs
Services
Support and social services
History
Homosexual activity in Russia
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Homosexual activity in Russia is varies by region.
In 1996, Chechnya recriminalized homosexuality. In 2000, Chechnya became part of Russia again. This de jure legalized homosexuality, but Chechnya continues to criminalize it in practice.
In 2023, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation recognized the LGBT movement as extremist and banned it. However, the court
