Russia’s Anti-Gay Laws Are Harming LGBT+ Youth
A new report from the Human Rights Watch has examined the detrimental effect Russia’s 2013 “gay propaganda” laws are having on LGBT+ youths in the country.
In the report, titled “No Support: Russia’s ‘Gay Propaganda’ Law Imperils LGBT Youth,”HRW has interviewed young LGBT+ Russians and mental health professionals across Russia, from urban to rural areas, and examined the experiences of children in teir everyday lives.
“Russia’s ‘gay propaganda’ law is harming youth by cutting them off from vital information,” writes Michael Garcia Bochenek, senior children’s rights counsel at Human Rights Watch. “And amid the intense social hostility surrounding LGBT people in Russia, the law stops mental health providers from counselling children who have questions about sexual orientation and gender identity.”
“No one wants to get beaten on the street, but that’s the fear LGBT people in Russia live with now,” Nikita R., an 18-year-old transgender man, told HRW. “We know that most people believe the mass media, and the stories there teach them that we are horrible creatures, so we are in danger all the time.”
“The ‘gay propaganda’ law risks inflicting long-term harm on generations of Russian youth by encouraging discrimination and curtailing access to support services,” Bochenek continues. “This law doesn’t protect anyone, but it does cut off kids from the services they need to thrive, and in some cases even survive.”
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