Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law banning the adoption of Russian children by citizens of countries where gender transitioning is legal, the Russian government’s legal information website published on Nov. 23.
The law targeted at least 15 countries, including several in Europe, as well as Australia, Argentina, and Canada.
Additional legislation approved on the same day prohibits promoting child-free lifestyles and imposes fines of up to 5 million rubles (about $50,000) for spreading such messages, framed as part of a Western agenda to weaken Russia.
These moves align with Russia's broader recent push for "traditional values," highlighted by past laws banning gender-transition procedures, LGBTQ+ information, and declaring LGBTQ+ activism as ‘extremist.’
Putin has increasingly criticized Western liberal ideologies, describing them as a threat to Russia.
The crackdown on dissent, activists, and independent media in Russia has escalated, especially since the war in Ukraine began in 2022.
In November 2023, Russian Supreme Court's decision to label the "international LGBT movement" as "extremist," has starkly intensified the challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community in general within the country.
This ruling, emerging from a lawsuit by the Justice Ministry accusing the LGBT movement of inciting social and religious discord, has effectively jeopardized all forms of LGBTQ+ rights activism in Russia.
Martin Fornusek
