Gela Gogishvili, a Russian national, and his boyfriend, Haoyang Xu, a Chinese national, have been arrested in Kazan, Russia, for violating the country’s “gay propaganda” law signed by President Vladimir Putin in December 2021. The couple was documenting their everyday lives on social media, including TikTok and YouTube, and had amassed a large following of 740,000 and 64,900 subscribers, respectively.
Despite the fact that the couple’s content was not erotic or obscene by any standard, a local citizen tipped off the police to their social media accounts, leading to their arrest. Gogishvili was released, but Xu remains in a Russian detention center for migrants and faces deportation in seven days.
The couple’s attorneys are currently appealing the decision. In a court hearing last Friday, Xu was found guilty of violating the “gay propaganda” law and was sentenced to a week in detention before being deported back to China.
The “gay propaganda” law, which falls under the Administrative Code, is used to target and discriminate against the LGBTQ+ community in Russia. According to DELO LGBT+, a Moscow-based LGBTQ+ group, the Kazan police’s criminal investigation department treated Gogishvili and Xu as dangerous criminal offenders, despite their non-offensive content.
The couple was stopped by police while walking on the street after visiting a museum with friends. Xu was asked to present his papers, such as passport and student visa, but was unable to do so as he did not carry them with him. The police then escorted them to the Yapeyeva police station, where they were informed that they were being charged under Article 6.21 of Russia’s Administrative Offenses Code, otherwise known as the “gay propaganda” law.
The couple’s case has sparked outrage among the LGBTQ+ community and human rights activists, who have criticized Russia’s discriminatory laws and treatment of the LGBTQ+ community. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin issued a decree in December 2021 that directs the Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media to ban any websites that contain information about LGBTQ+ identities without a court order.
The couple’s arrest and impending deportation highlights the ongoing discrimination and persecution faced by the LGBTQ+ community in Russia. As the world moves towards greater acceptance and inclusion, it is important to continue to fight for the rights and dignity of all individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.