Russian channel blurs out rainbow in episode of SpongeBob in likely move against ‘LGBT propaganda’

Russian viewers have noticed an unusual single-color yellow rainbow displayed by SpongeBob during an episode of the cartoon broadcast by Russian channel 2x2, according to independent outlet ASTRA.

The Russian Supreme Court's November 2023 ruling branding the “international LGBT movement” as “extremist” marked a major escalation in the Russian state’s repression of LGBTQ people, paving the way for new raids on gay clubs, the closure of rights organisations, and prosecutions over symbols as simple as a rainbow.

The Russian authorities regularly prosecute people for alleged LGBT propaganda, or for displaying symbols linked to the “international LGBT movement”, imposing penalties ranging from small fines to prison sentences.

Earlier this year, Russian courts ordered the deportation of a foreign national over a review of a leather skirt he left on an online marketplace, and sentenced a photographer to 18 months of compulsory labour for publishing gay fanfiction online. 

Russia outlawed “LGBT propaganda” in 2013, claiming the measure was to protect children from depictions of “non-traditional family relations”. In 2022, the government extended the ban to cover all ages.