In December 2022, President Putin signed a law banning LGBT “propaganda” among the entire population of the country, and in November 2023, the LGBT movement in Russia was declared extremist. These repressive laws have made life more difficult for queer people. The recognition of the movement as extremist has also affected queer students, who now have to hide their sexual identity even more.
On Students’ Day, “Groza” together with the “Sfera” foundation spoke with queer people from Russian universities about how their lives have changed over the past two years, what they fear, and whether they are willing to continue studying in Russia.
I try not to talk much about being part of the LGBT+ community at my institute. Of course, I have a close circle of people with whom I've built trusting relationships. I can talk about my personal life and share my problems with them, but when it comes to others I try not to bring it up.
Even if the person I'm talking to is not against the LGBT+ community or they may be even part of it, there's still the fear of rumors spreading. I tell one person, they tell another person, and so on. They secretly pass it from one to another, and soon half the university community knows about it.
Fortunately, I haven't faced discrimination from professors at the university because they don't know about [my sexual identity]. I don't have close relationships with them, and the people who might know don't have close relationships with them too. Sometimes there are comments about my appearance, like my piercings, but I don't think that's related to my involvement in the LGBT+ community. Maybe they think otherwise, but that's not my concern.
There have been a few isolated incidents. For example, a guy once tried to mock me, flirting exaggeratedly, winking, trying to provoke me into aggression, but I didn't mind much because it seemed childish. I didn't pay much attention to it. It was only later that someone pointed out that it was an act of mockery towards me.
There were also some prerequisites. For example, in conversations with not-so-close people, I was able to learn a lot of interesting things about the LGBT+ community. Like how we are all, to put it mildly, “bad people”, and what should be done to us. Of course I was shocked, but I tried not to say anything in response, so as not to arouse suspicion. I avoided the subject because the consequences could be significant.
I'm living in a dorm now, and we've agreed with my very good friend who I live with that we pretend to be a happy heterosexual couple, and we're kind of in a relationship, because dorms are a place where gossip spreads in a second. I try to avoid that because things happen. There are inadequate people who can be very aggressive.
I was asked if I am “flunky” from time to time. Not personally, but through some person, I was called “faggot”, “gay boy”, but nobody told that to my face. That’s it, there was no global discrimination. There were one-off cases, which I did not take personally, I reduced them to a joke.
With the laws that have been passed lately, I can't say that there's been any change of attitude towards me. [I'm] not interested in some strangers in this regard and they do not show their attitude towards me in any way. Those people who have been involved in or support the LGBT+ community, they have stayed with their opinions. Those who are against the LGBT+ community, they've kept theirs. I don't think anything's changed in the last two years because everybody's people have their own head on their shoulders, their own opinion.
As for me, I have become more careful because of this in selecting and checking people. I am waiting for the moment when I realize that a person must know that I belong to the LGBT+ community. And if we split up, I need to be sure that this person will not go and spread this gossip to the whole university and the whole dorm.
Marina and Olesya: We are quiet about our sexuality [at university]. The only people who know are those with whom we contact regularly and with whom we feel comfortable behaving as a couple, not hiding from them.
Olesya: We did not face discrimination [at university]. If others ask, I usually say that no, we are not a couple. We all know what kind of situation we have in our country now. Basically, I'm an extremist now, and it isn’t pleasing. In fact, I don't talk about it not only because I am in an educational establishment — this is basically my life position, I don't really bring my sexuality to the public eye.
Two years ago I realized my sexual orientation. That was when I had my first relationship and, to be honest, nothing changed. Most people in the streets didn't care. I could walk with my girlfriend, and boys from 21 to 25 years old would say: “Wow, freaks, nonconformists”. Nothing more.
The only thing that has changed is my attitude to the information dissemination about my relationship. I didn't use to talk about it too much, but back then I was afraid to hear something negative, to see that people didn't accept me. Now it's better to be silent just for your own safety’s sake. Of course most people still don't care who is holding hands with whom or kissing. However there are some who won't take it and will start to prove you something.
While we are quiet — we are more or less safe. It's ridiculous that we’ve become “extremists” for nothing special. Among friends we can joke about it. I take it with humor in general.
Marina: My professors don't know about my sexuality.
Discrimination from the students is an interesting question. I try to come out only to those people who won't take it as something “bad”, but sometimes students find out about my partner accidentally and react surprisingly calmly.
Olesya: In educational institutions most people who knew didn't react at all or reacted positively. They didn't take it as something weird, but something usual. For them there's nothing strange in a girl that is dating another girl or in me as a lesbian. Most of them didn't care, that was usual.
I never see any discrimination from my professors too. Some of them may suspect, but no one knows for sure. Some who are more open minded may harmlessly joke about it. They may say: “And I thought you were in the same group with (the name of the partner)” or something like that, but there is no discrimination.
They joked once and forgot about it. I have no idea what their real attitude towards LGBT is, but they don't know about me.
People in the university are quite nice. I believe that the young generation take it as something normal. The professors’ generation maintains hierarchy; they don’t intrude into our lives.
In my life I didn't see any discrimination at all. I’ve faced some negativity but it's not about the university. That was from the older generation, from my relatives to tell the truth. Those were only words, that “it's wrong”.
These days, even if she knows about my relationships now, she doesn't show it. She even occasionally covers for me when relatives ask about relationships. My secret is safe with her.
Marina: With new laws, the attitude from other people didn't change. Again, almost no one knows about it. But my internal state changed, I became insecure and fearful for the future. I plan to finish my studies at the university, but I don't know my future plans yet.
Olesya: I will finish my studies at the university; the new law doesn't affect that. Leaving the country in the future would be very nice, then I can hope not to always look over my shoulder when I'm walking with my girlfriend. And I'll have more rights.
When I was applying, I had a choice between Novosibirsk State University, Tomsk State University, and universities in Moscow. But I didn't really want to move anywhere, because I would have to live in a dorm with a bunch of people who might be bothering me, and things like that. And with Moscow, there were even more hassles because for all the programs that suited me, they had additional tests conducted remotely. So I decided it would probably be easier to stay here in Kemerovo.
I didn't tell the people I met at the university about my sexuality. At the university, only those are aware, whom I met elsewhere: on social media, at events in the city — and it just so happened that they study with me. I didn't tell my classmates.
I haven't faced discrimination from professors, specifically because no one knows. Everything is fine with groupmates too, from what I've observed during my studies, no one has treated me badly. For example, there's a groupmate who loves discussing this topic [LGBT]. And in general, there are a few people with her who discuss it — I've heard nothing negative from them.
Has anything changed since the laws were passed? No. No one's attitude [towards me] has changed, everything is fine. I wasn't upset, I just saw that such laws were passed, and that's it. Generally, I don't openly talk about [my sexuality] anywhere. Only if I talk to someone for a while, then I might say something. And even then, only if it matters for some reason. If it's just some person, then... Well, you talk to them, and keep on talking. I just don't think it's such a significant fact that you can’t stop thinking: “I just have to tell them, I have to.” So [after the laws were passed], I didn't see any particular problems for myself, it is all the same to me.
%20(1).webp)
