Russia bans a prominent LGBTQ+ rights group as extremist in a new blow to the beleaguered community

A court in Russia on Tuesday designated a prominent LGBTQ+ rights group as an extremist organization, the latest blow to the country’s beleaguered community that has faced an intensified crackdown in recent years under President Vladimir Putin.

In a hearing that took place behind closed doors, the St. Petersburg City Court banned the Coming Out group as “extremist.” The authorities did not reveal any details of the lawsuit filed last month by Russia’s Justice Ministry and classified as secret.

The group, which now operates from abroad, said it will continue to help LGBTQ+ people in Russia and beyond, and fight for their rights despite the ruling.

“We have been preparing for this development for a long time. We enhanced security, developed sustainable work formats and continue to act responsibly, first and foremost for those who count on us,” Coming Out said in an online statement.

“Today it is especially important not to give into fear and not to be alone. Our community is stronger than any labels, and history has proven that.”

Coming Out is the first LGBTQ+ rights group to be designated since the 2023 Supreme Court ruling that effectively banned any LGBTQ+ activism. Similar lawsuits have been filed against two other LGBTQ+ rights groups, with courts in St. Petersburg and the Samara region still to rule on them.

Russia’s LGBTQ+ community has been under legal and public pressure for over a decade, but especially since the Kremlin invaded Ukraine four years ago. Putin has argued that the war in Ukraine is a proxy battle with the West, which he says aims to destroy Russia and its “traditional family values” by pushing for LGBTQ+ rights.

Any depiction of gay and transgender people that portrays them in a positive or even neutral light has been banned ever since. Gender-affirming medical care and changing one’s gender in official documents are prohibited.

In November 2023, Russia’s Supreme Court declared what the government called “the international LGBT movement” to be an extremist organization, exposing anyone involved with that community to prosecution and potential imprisonment.

Days after the ruling, the community was rattled by news of police raiding gay bars, nightclubs and venues that hosted drag shows in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities. Criminal cases on the charges of involvement with the “LGBT movement” have followed, and some people have faced fines for displaying what the authorities determined to be “extremist” symbols such as a rainbow flag.

The Russian authorities are seeking to make the LGBTQ+ community “as vulnerable, as lonely as possible,” said Denis Oleinik, executive director of the Coming Out LGBTQ+ rights group.

The group, formerly based in Russia’s second-largest city of St. Petersburg, has been operating entirely from abroad since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It no longer offers support groups or offline activities, but still provides psychological and legal support remotely. It also works with international organizations in advocating for LGBTQ+ rights in Russia and for helping those fleeing the country, Oleinik told The Associated Press in February.

The ruling makes it unsafe for people to share any Coming Out content publicly or for anyone inside Russia or who travels there to donate money to the group, he said.

The “extremist” designation also sometimes scares people away from reaching out for help, as well as other rights groups or media outlets from working with them, Oleinik said. There also might be risks for relatives of activists who speak openly in public.

But otherwise, “we can provide help, and receiving our help is also allowed,” he said.