While MAGA continues to attack LGBTQ rights in the U.S. — including erasing queer history and removing children’s books with LGBTQ characters from libraries and pushing an ever‑broader censorship agenda — and as the UK faces MAGA‑inspired campaigns demanding the removal of LGBT literature from public libraries, Russia’s assault on LGBTQ‑related media has taken an extreme and frankly absurd turn. It is a cautionary tale for Western countries of just how far censorship can go once it becomes normalized. From books to anime, TV shows, and even academia, queer existence is being systematically erased.

In January, one of Russia’s largest private bookstore chains, Chitai‑Gorod-Bukvoed, faced the risk of being shut down over alleged “LGBT propaganda” under a law that prohibits any positive mention of LGBTQ content and equates LGBTQ material with pornography and pedophilia.

Among the books targeted were “Beartown,” “Us Against You,”and “The Winners”by Fredrik Backman, “The Left Hand of Darkness” by Ursula K. Le Guin, and “The Heart’s Invisible Furies” by John Boyne.

According to Chitai‑Gorod-Bukvoed CEO Alexander Brychkin, once it became known in mid‑December that law enforcement agencies had launched inspections, the Chitai‑Gorod–Bukvoed network immediately removed these titles from sale nationwide. In a comment to Kommersant, Brychkin stressed that the chain “operates strictly within the legal framework,” noting that the books were not listed in any official register of banned materials at the time the inspections began and had been on sale for several years. 

Previously, two of the biggest online film distribution companies were charged as well under the “LGBT Propaganda law.”

Private businesses had no more right to speak up than writers or artists who are persecuted for their work. This is a nightmare scenario for many Americans who believe the free market itself can protect freedom of expression. This is the reality of modern‑day Russia.

A censored version of the anime “Steins;Gate” has also been released on Russia’s most prominent streaming platform, “Kinopoisk,” in which the storyline of one of the main characters was altered due to the ban on so‑called “LGBT propaganda,” as reported by opposition outlets Verstka and Dozhd, as well as fans on Reddit.

In the original series, the character Ruka Urushibara is a young person with an androgynous appearance who struggles to accept themself in a male body — an obvious indication that Ruka is a transgender girl. Ruka wears women’s clothing and dreams of becoming a girl. In episode eight, Ruka is given the chance to intervene in the past by sending a message to their mother in order to be born female.

In the Kinopoisk version, released in late 2025, Ruka is instead portrayed as a girl living with HIV — something entirely absent from the original anime and invented in translation. The storyline and dialogue were rewritten accordingly, completely distorting the original meaning: in this version, Ruka attempts to change the past in order to be born “healthy,” without HIV, rather than to be born a girl. This is not only absurd, but deeply offensive to the LGBTQ community, which has long been stigmatized in relation to HIV.

A similar distortion appears in “Amediateka”’s translation — or, better to say, rewriting — of the new AMC series “Interview with the Vampire.” Translators rewrote dialogue in ways that fundamentally misrepresented the plot, downplaying the openly queer nature of the characters to the point that romantic partners were translated merely as “friends” or “pals,” rendering entire scenes meaningless. At the same time, even brief critical references to Russian or Soviet politics were removed.

As for queer romance, such as the popular Canadian TV show “Heated Rivalry,”it has no official Russian translation at all and circulates only through fan translations. The show remains popular among millennials and Gen Z, and Russian social media platforms like X (Twitter) and Instagram are full of positive reviews. Yet, in theory, promoting such a show could put someone at risk under the law. People still watch it, still love it, still build fan communities, but it all exists quietly, pushed under the carpet.

The prohibition is not total, but it is a grotesque situation when even such a nice and harmless show is stigmatized.

Books suffer even more. Some classics fall under bans, and books are physically destroyed. In other cases, the outcome is worse: texts are rewritten and censored, as with “Steins;Gate.” This affects not only fiction but also nonfiction. For example, in “Deep Color” by Keith Recker, an American researcher of visual arts, all mentions of queer, feminism or BDSM culture were erased in the Russian edition. Even historically necessary references were removed, including mentions of the pink triangle used by the Nazis.

In the Russian edition of Skye Cleary’s “The Thirst for Authenticity: How Simone de Beauvoir’s Ideas Help You Become Yourself,” dozens of paragraphs were blacked out. Passages discussing the fluidity of gender and a person’s right to define themselves outside the rigid male–female binary were removed. Sections on contraception and abortion, critiques of biological reductionism and social pressure on women, details of Simone de Beauvoir’s intimate life and her relationships with women, as well as reflections on non‑monogamous relationships, were all excised. Even footnotes referencing quotes about gender identity were hidden. 

Those two books are one of the many examples of the fate of Russian-translated nonfiction. Actually, even books about animal reproduction were demanded to be censored because of the “LGBT propaganda law”. Apparently, the authorities couldn’t accept a neutral scientific description of same-sex behavior and reproductive diversity in animals.

The authorities know what they are doing. Most people are less likely to read dense nonfiction or search actual studies about animal sexual behavior than to watch a popular TV show about queer hockey players, which makes visual media easier to censor quietly and effectively. So they really could show LGBTQ as something negative and absolutely unnatural for most of the Russian population.

And this is the core of the problem. This is not just censorship of content — it is the rewriting of history, even the narrative around biology. It is the deliberate marginalization of queer existence, the systematic erasure of queer people’s ability to see themselves reflected in culture, literature, and art.

The U.S. still retains independence in academia, publishing, and private business when it comes to queer voices. Russia does not. History shows where this path leads: Nazi Germany burned books; the Taliban destroyed cultural and historical materials. This is always one of the first steps toward genocide — not immediate, perhaps, but inevitable once dehumanization becomes official policy. It never stops with just one group. In Russia, immigrants, people from the North Caucasus and Central Asia, Ukrainians, and even disabled citizens face daily dehumanization — it’s all part of the same system.

And now, alarmingly, the U.S. seems to be following in Russia’s footsteps — the same path that enabled war in Ukraine and the thriving of authoritarianism.

Russia has designated a global LGBTQ and intersex rights group as an “undesirable” organization.

ILGA World in a press release notes the country’s Justice Ministry announced the designation on its website on Jan. 21.

The ministry’s website on Tuesday appeared to be down when the Washington Blade tried to access it. ILGA World in its press release said the designation — “which also reportedly includes eight other organizations from the United States and across Europe” — “has been confirmed by independent sources.”

“ILGA World received no direct communication of the designation, whose official reasons are not known,” said ILGA World.

The Kremlin over the last decade has faced global criticism over its crackdown on LGBTQ rights.

ILGA World notes Russians found guilty of engaging with “undesirable” groups could face up to six years in prison. The Russian Supreme Court in 2023 ruled the “international LGBT movement” is an extremist organization and banned it.

“Designating human rights groups ‘undesirable’ is outlandish and cynical, yet here we are,” said ILGA World Executive Director Julia Ehrt. “But no matter how much governments will try to legislate LGBTI people out of existence, movements will stay strong and committed, and solidarity remains alive across borders. And together, we will continue building a more just world for everyone.”

A gay married couple from Russia who has asked for asylum in the U.S. has been in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody for nearly a year.

América Diversa, a group that advocates on behalf of LGBTQ immigrants, told the Washington Blade that Andrei Ushakov and Aleksandr Skitsan fled Russia on March 14, 2024, “after the government began labelling LGBTQIA+ organizations as ‘extremist.’” Skitsan “faced direct threats at his workplace, forcing them to flee for their safety.”

The State Department’s 2023 human rights report specifically notes a Russian authorities “used laws prohibiting the promotion of ‘non-traditional sexual relations’ to justify the arbitrary arrest of LGBTQI+ persons.” The 2023 report also cites reports that “state actors committed violence against LGBTQI+ individuals based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, particularly in Chechnya” and “government agents attacked, harassed, and threatened LGBTQI+ activists.”

Advocacy groups in August sharply criticized the State Department after it “erased” LGBTQ and intersex people from its 2024 human rights report. Immigration Equality and other organizations say this omission could jeopardize the cases of LGBTQ who are seeking asylum in the U.S.

Couple separated, not receiving proper medical care in ICE custody

América Diversa says Ushakov and Skitsan arrived in Mexico on March 15, 2024.

The men used the CBP (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) One app the Biden-Harris administration created that allowed them and other asylum seekers to schedule an appointment at a port of entry. Their appointment was on Nov. 27, 2024, and America Diversa said they asked for asylum on that day once they entered the U.S.

The Trump-Vance administration discontinued the CBP One app on Jan. 20, the day it took office.

“Upon entering U.S. custody, they (Ushakov and Skitsan) were separated without explanation,” said América Diversa.  

Ushakov and Skitsan were initially detained at the Imperial Regional Detention Facility in Calexico, Calif., which is in the state’s Imperial Valley.

“Andrei was placed in an overcrowded unit with more than 60 detainees, where poor sanitation, excessive air conditioning, and the lack of adequate medical care have put his health at risk,” said América Diversa.

The group says the couple are now at the San Luis Regional Detention Center in San Luis, Ariz.

“They are now being denied all communication with each other, despite being legally married and sharing the same asylum case,” said América Diversa.

The group notes Ushakov has a “chronic medical condition that requires continuous medication and quarterly monitoring.” 

“Despite repeated requests, he faces long delays in treatment and limited access to medical services,” said América Diversa.

América Diversa also noted Skitsan suffers from a “chronic ear infection, which causes ringing and temporary hearing loss, as well as untreated stomach issues.” América Diversa said Skitsan had been scheduled to see a doctor in December, but his “recent transfer to Arizona has jeopardized that case.” 

“Their transfer to the San Luis Regional Detention Center has further worsened their situation,” said América Diversa. “At this new facility, they have been prohibited from communicating with each other, an act that violates not only basic humanitarian principles but also their rights as a legally married couple under both U.S. and international law.”

América Diversa Managing Director Yonatan Matheus on Oct. 22 told the Blade he had just spoken with Ushakov. 

“He couldn’t talk with his husband, he was only able to talk with me for less than five minutes,” said Matheus. “The calls are recorded and monitored. He is very afraid to speak.”

The couple’s case are among those that have garnered attention since the Trump-Vance administration took office.

The White House earlier this year “forcibly disappeared” Andry Hernández Romero, a gay Venezuelan makeup artist who asked for asylum in the U.S., to El Salvador. He returned to his homeland in July after he spent more than 100 days in El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center, a maximum-security prison known by the Spanish acronym CECOT.

ICE agents in August arrested Alice Correia Barbosa, a transgender Brazilian woman, while she was driving her car in Silver Spring, Md. A senior Department of Homeland Security official who misgendered Correia told the Blade that she “overstayed his visa by almost six years” and DHS plans to deport her.

Brazil has the highest number of reported murders of trans people in the world.

ICE did not respond to the Blade’s request for comment about Ushakov and Skitsan’s case.