World
Even the most authoritarian governments can’t fully erase us
LGBTQ people can find representation in podcasts, anime, books
There were two events that happened simultaneously that deeply changed my perspective on mass culture.
The first was the Russian government’s raid on one of the country’s largest publishing houses that printed LGBTQ-themed books, among many others. Not only were the books destroyed, but at least 10 workers were detained as part of a criminal investigation into their alleged “involvement in the activities of an extremist organization,” including “participation” in and “organizing” such activities in their official capacity. In reality, their “crime” was printing books with LGBTQ characters—something that has become semi-prohibited in Russia today.
The second event was much smaller and far more personal. That same day, I was listening to a Russian true crime podcast about Jeffrey Dahmer. What struck me was the unusually nuanced understanding—at least for Russian media—of how homophobia shaped Dahmer’s life. The podcast acknowledged how unsafe it was to be gay when Dahmer was growing up, and how his inability to form stable relationships in the 1980s contributed to his warped, tragic path. They made it clear: this wasn’t an excuse, but an explanation rooted in systemic issues. Even more surprising, another podcast episode I listened to included hosts apologizing for using outdated or offensive terms for gay people when discussing both victims and perpetrators. One host even commented on how LGBTQ victims are often treated as less important and how perpetrators targeting them often escape justice. Both podcasts were made just by two enthusiasts that work for donations but have dozens of thousands of fans. They sometimes hold conversations that would be censored on official TV—and are now impossible in traditionally published literature.
Why is this important? In a country where LGBTQ discourse is banned, and where accusations of “extremism” are increasingly used against queer people, there are no Pride events. LGBTQ-related conversations are absent from academia. Books with queer characters are censored or destroyed.
But something else exists—something less controlled: grassroots internet content. Educational or entertainment-based, these podcasts and YouTube videos can spark serious discussions, challenge state narratives, and even become a form of quiet protest. This is not what the government is targeting. They’re focused on censoring an official translation of political thriller like “Conclave” to erase the word “homosexual,” or banning a novel about a gay boy at summer camp. Meanwhile, everyday creators in small studios—who don’t even focus on LGBTQ issues—still find ways to talk about homophobia and its impact. Nobody is monitoring True Crime podcasts. Or anime forums. Or fan-fiction websites.
At the end of Pride month, many LGBT people in the West express frustration with how commercial and shallow Pride has become.
“Pride is supposed to be a protest, but here we can’t talk about anything serious. It’s just one big, overwhelming show—and it’s not always inclusive,” one of my friends told me.
That’s why these quiet discussions around LGBTQ topics may be more important than we think.
Another friend of mine, who has lived in the UK for 10 years, had no idea that the UK had anti-LGBT legislation in its recent history. He didn’t understand why queerness needed to be celebrated—he saw it as “propaganda.” Until I explained the history to him.
That’s why history programs—whether about Alan Turing or Jeffrey Dahmer—provide context that is often missing. Of course, we must be careful not to sensationalize. And we have to acknowledge that most of these podcasts and documentaries are based on Western — primarily American, often using Netflix content as a main source of information — even if they are re-told by local podcasters and authors. That makes it even more important for filmmakers and streaming platforms to understand the weight of their influence. Stories with queer characters aren’t just consumed in the U.S.—they’re retold, translated, and reinterpreted in places like Russia, Iran, or Malaysia. There, interest in WWII, true crime, or celebrity gossip might be the only culturally “safe” way to talk about LGBTQ lives. And that’s a huge responsibility—one that I doubt platforms like Netflix are fully aware of.
But it’s not just about Western media.
People looking for escapism still find meaning in anime lore or yaoi fan-fiction. I was never into anime fandoms, but as a late millennial, I understand the importance of LGBTQ representation in those spaces. Yaoi, at its core, is a genre about gay relationships.
A friend of mine, a trans woman from Donetsk, Ukraine, told me that when she was growing up, yaoi fan-fiction was her only window into non-hypermasculine sexuality. She learned a queer model of relationships from it, and later it helped her accept herself as bi and trans. Yes, Yaoi stories often fetishize gay people and perpetuate stereotypes—but what other options did she have? What else was available to young queer people trying to understand themselves in places where LGBTQ conversations are taboo?
As I prepare to attend my local Pride this week, I’m thinking about how many different ways there are to celebrate Pride—beyond just marching in the street. For some, it’s about reclaiming their identity in private. Finding representation in a podcast, an anime forum, or a book they secretly downloaded. Pride can be deeply personal. It can be a year-long process of unlearning shame and discovering self-worth—not just a month-long party.
And that gives me hope. Because in the internet age, even the most authoritarian governments can’t fully erase us.
National
LGBTQ Catholic groups slam Trump over pope criticism
‘Moral truth and compassion always overcome ignorant hate’
LGBTQ Catholic groups have sharply criticized President Donald Trump over his criticisms of Pope Leo XIV.
Leo on April 13 told reporters while traveling to Algeria that he had “no fear of the Trump administration” after the president described him as “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy” in response to his opposition to the Iran war. (Trump on the same day posted to Truth Social an image that appeared to show him as Jesus Christ. He removed it on April 13 amid backlash from religious leaders.)
Vice President JD Vance, who is Catholic, during a Fox News Channel interview on the same day said “in some cases, it would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality, to stick to matters of what’s going on with the Catholic church, and let the president of the United States stick to dictating American public policy.” Vance on April 14 once again discussed Leo during an appearance at a Turning Point USA event in Athens, Ga., saying he should “be careful when he talks about matters of theology.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni; former U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican Miguel Díaz; and Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, are among those who have criticized Trump over his comments. The president, for his part, has said he will not apologize to Leo.
“The world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants,” said Leo on Thursday at a cathedral in Bamenda, Cameroon.
Francis DeBernardo is the executive director of New Ways Ministry, a Maryland-based LGBTQ Catholic organization. He told the Washington Blade on Thursday that Trump’s comments about Leo “are one more example of the ridiculous hubris of this leader (Trump) whose entire record shows that he is nothing more than a middle-school bully.”
“LGBTQ+ adults were often bullied as children, and they have learned the lesson that bullies act when they feel frightened or threatened,” said DeBernardo. “But secular power does not threaten the Vicar of Christ, and Pope Leo’s response illustrates this truth perfectly.”
DeBernardo added Trump “is obviously frightened that Pope Leo, an American, has more power and influence than the president on the world stage.”
“Like most Trumpian bullying, this strategy will backfire,” DeBernardo told the Blade. “Moral truth and compassion always overcome ignorant hate. Trump’s actions are not an example of his power, but of his impotence.”
Marianne Duddy-Burke, executive director of DignityUSA, an LGBTQ Catholic organization, echoed DeBernardo.
“He [Trump] has demonstrated throughout both presidencies that he doesn’t understand the basic concepts of any faith system that is founded on the dignity of human beings, the importance of common good,” Duddy-Burke told the Blade on Thursday during a telephone interview. “It’s just appalling.”
Duddy-Burke praised Leo and the American cardinals who have publicly criticized Trump.
“The pope’s popularity — given how much more respect Pope Leo has than the man sitting in the White House — is a blow to his ego,” Duddy-Burke told the Blade. “That seems to be a sore sport for him.”
“It’s such an imperialistic world view,” she added.
Leo ‘is the real peacemaker’
The College of Cardinals last May elected Leo to succeed Pope Francis after his death.
Leo, who was born in Chicago, is the first American pope. He was the bishop of the Diocese of Chiclayo in Peru from 2015-2023.
Francis made him a cardinal in 2023.
Juan Carlos Cruz — a gay Chilean man and clergy sex abuse survivor who Francis appointed to the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors — has traveled to Ukraine several times with Dominican Sister Lucía Caram since Russia launched its war against the country in 2022. Cruz on Thursday responded to Trump’s criticism of Leo in a text message he sent to the Blade from Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital.
“I am in Ukraine under many attacks,” said Cruz. “Trump is an asshole and has zero right to criticize the Pope who is the real peacemaker.”
Belarus
Belarusian president signs bill to allow LGBTQ rights crackdown
Alexander Lukashenko known as ‘Europe’s last dictator’
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Wednesday signed a bill that will allow his government to crack down on LGBTQ advocacy.
The measure that Lukashenko, who is known as “Europe’s last dictator” and is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, signed would punish anyone found guilty of “propaganda of homosexual relations, gender change, refusal to have children, and pedophilia” with fines, community labor, and 15 days in jail.
The House of Representatives, the lower house of the Belarusian National Assembly, last month approved the bill. The Council of the Republic, which is the parliament’s upper chamber, passed it on April 2.
Belarus borders Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
Kazakhstan is among the countries that have enacted Russian-style anti-LGBTQ propaganda laws in recent years.
The European Commission in 2022 sued Hungary, which is a member of the EU, over its anti-LGBTQ propaganda law. Hungarian voters on April 12 ousted Viktor Orbán, a Putin ally who had been their country’s prime minister since 2010.
Senegal
Senegalese court issues first conviction under new anti-LGBTQ law
Man sentenced to six years in prison on April 10
A Senegalese court has issued the first conviction under a new law that further criminalizes consensual same-sex sexual relations.
The Associated Press notes the court in Pikine-Guédiawaye, a suburb of Dakar, the Senegalese capital, on April 10 convicted a 24-year-old man of committing “acts against nature and public indecency” and sentenced him to six years in prison.
Authorities arrested the man, who Senegalese media reports identified as Mbaye Diouf, earlier this month. The court also fined him 2 million CFA ($3,591.04).
Lawmakers in the African country on March 11 nearly unanimously passed the measure that increases the penalty for anyone convicted of engaging in consensual same-sex sexual relations from one to five years in prison to five to 10 years. The bill that Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko introduced also prohibits the “promotion” or “financing” of homosexuality in Senegal.
MassResistance, an anti-LGBTQ group based in the U.S., reportedly worked with Senegalese groups to advance the bill that President Bassirou Diomaye Faye signed on March 31.
“This prison sentence is unlawful under international law,” said Human Rights Watch on Wednesday. “Senegal is bound by treaty obligations that protect every person’s right to dignity, privacy, and equality.”
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