Vadim Vaganov. Photo: Telegram
The Russian Justice Ministry has named queer journalist Vadim Vaganov a member of the non-existent “international LGBT movement”, which was declared extremist in 2023, the first time it has labelled an individual an extremist due to their queer activism, human rights NGO First Department said on Monday.
Vaganov’s lawyer, Maxim Olenichev, said that the ministry had named Vaganov as a member of the “international LGBT movement” in a court hearing, as part of a legal challenge mounted by Vaganov to contest a government decision to label him a “foreign agent”.
When the Supreme Court ruled that the LGBT movement was “extremist” in 2023, it mentioned in its ruling that it consisted of 281 members, without naming names.
According to Vaganov, the Justice Ministry cited his past work for the gay website Parni Plyus, as well as a humorous post Vaganov made about teaching young LGBT people how to be gay and giving his queer recommendations for the 2024 presidential election, to back up its claim that he was a member of the “movement”.
The ministry also alleged that Vaganov was persuading people to join the “extremist community” thanks to a post he captioned, “I’m trying to win everyone over to gayness”.
“I was also impressed that my joke post saying ‘The FSB is hunting for your anal prints’ was deemed a political publication,” Vaganov told Novaya Europe.
Vaganov, a journalist who was also previously an active member of the liberal Yabloko party in St. Petersburg, was declared a “foreign agent” in November.
Russia’s Supreme Court ruled the “International LGBT Movement” “extremist” on 30 November 2023. Since then, criminal cases have been opened against club-owners in the cities of Chita, Orenburg, Kirov and Yaroslavl.
