Authors

Discussion

Today, the LGBTQ+ community in Russia faces a drastic shift in official discourse, moving toward increasingly condemnatory rhetoric. This culminated in the classification of the "LGBT movement" as extremist in 2023 and as terrorist in 2024. The first step in this direction was taken in 2013 with the introduction of the initial "anti-gay propaganda" law. However, this condemnation only fueled the growth of LGBTQ+ media and activist initiatives (Engström, 2015), sparking a wave of protests, human rights organizations, independent films, and creative projects. This, in turn, led to a rise in awareness and recognition, fostering a supportive environment for the growth of independent queer projects.

The period 2017-2020, during which the expansion of the “LGBT movement” and its media outreach was evident, can be called a RuNet "queer renaissance" characterized by the emergence of cultural and art projects, performances, drag shows and queer community events. At the time LGBTQ+ narratives, though under state condemnation, were not completely forbidden. Especially during such major events as the Fifa World Cup 2018, official censorship was sidelined to maintain Russia’s image in the global arena. 

My paper applies Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to conduct research on three case studies from this period (Moscow Community Centre Instagram, the Lesbian Lobby Telegram channel and the Dragzina zine in social media). It analyses materials from early 2017 to mid-2020, covering all verbal and photo-posts during this period as well as direct comments. 

My research focuses on addressing questions relating to the tactics of self-representation that appeared during this period, and to the social and political context which influenced them. For this purpose, I look into visual materials (considering use of colour, references in imagery, consistency and type of visuals); verbal expressions (investigating general topics, topics bridging the global and Russian contexts, word usage, metaphors and shifts of meaning); frequency of posts (with consideration of both global and Russian contexts) and comment types. 

For my case studies, I select: Lesbian Lobby which represents one of the largest lesbian resources integrating Russian-speaking queer culture with global queer narratives; Moscow Community Center which was chosen for its role in combining online and offline entertainment; and Instagram account of the first zine on Russian drag “Dragzina” for new approaches to non-heteronormative visuality and visual subversion strategy. 

By paying attention to the details of visual and verbal expressions as well as by situating them within the wider socio-political context, I will dive deeper into the unique intersection of various Russian queer cultures. I will also provide insights into how a fruitful and dynamic Russian queer environment developed despite the repressions of an authoritarian regime.