Russian police raided LGBTQ clubs across Moscow on the evening of December 1. One man described having to wait for hours with dozens of others, some of whom were forced to strip down to their underwear, as police searched the club. Police claimed they were looking for drugs, but meanwhile took photographs of each customer’s ID. The previous day, Russia’s Supreme Court had declared the international gay rights movement “extremist,” a repressive, if vague, measure that effectively bans LGBTQ activities in the country. The ruling, so quickly followed by the raids, has left Russia’s queer community reeling. 

“Everything is now going underground,” said Alexander Belik, who works for the LGBTQ advocacy group Sphere. “It’s not clear whether this will affect all members of the LGBT community, whether your sexual orientation simply counts as membership in this ‘extremist organization.’” 

The November 30 ruling means that “the international LGBT public movement” will be added to a national list of banned groups, including the Islamic State group, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and, since October 2022, Facebook owner Meta. Supporting an extremist group can be punished by up to 10 years in jail, but it’s unclear how the ruling might be enforced, since the LGBTQ movement isn’t a formal, recognized group. Belik, who uses they/them pronouns, believes that the ambiguity of the law, and its absurdity, is the end goal.

“The point here is to create total uncertainty in the LGBT community and to intimidate everyone,” they said. “It will definitely be used against activists, people who publicly say they defend the rights of the LGBT community. But, it could just as likely be used against any LGBT person living in Russia or their allies.”