For the first time in Russia, the activities of a gay club were considered an organization of an extremist community

For the first time in Russia, the activities of a gay club were considered an organization of an extremist community (Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code). Yesterday in Orenburg, a court sent the administrator and art director of the local Pose club into custody; they face up to ten years in prison. According to investigators, they support the views and activities of the LGBT International Public Association (recognized as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation), and the purpose of their work in the club was “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relationships.” Before this, a demonstrative “special operation” of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the organization “Russian Community of Orenburg” took place at the club. Lawyers interviewed by Kommersant warn that this practice can be widely used.

The Central District Court of Orenburg, at the request of the investigation, arrested the art director of the Pose club, Alexander Klimov, and the administrator, Diana Kamilyanova. The meeting was held behind closed doors, but the official Telegram channel The court itself revealed details of the private lives of those arrested, stating that they “are persons with non-traditional sexual orientation.” According to investigators, Alexander Klimov and Diana Kamilyanova, “acting as a group of people in a preliminary conspiracy with unidentified persons who also support the views and activities of the LGBT International Public Association banned in our country, worked in the Rose bar and ensured its functioning.”

The Rose bar appeared in Orenburg in 2021. The establishment positioned itself as a “closed establishment for a certain circle of people,” as well as a “bar-theater of parodies” and “a night bar with a show program.” The administration did not indicate the address on social networks. In 2022, site employees Оrenday they wanted to see with their own eyes “the pictures so stubbornly implanted in our society by the West.” However, it turned out that to do this they had to contact the administration themselves and undergo an interview – only after that they were told the address of the establishment. On site, it turned out that the bar “has no sign, no illumination, no music,” and security asks visitors to show correspondence with the administration.

Orenday employees complained to readers: in order to get through the “doors into vulgarity,” they had to once again answer “questions not for normal people.” Only after that they were able to enter the club to see “LGBT propaganda” with their own eyes—and discovered there is a travesty show.

On March 9, 2024, employees of the local Center for Combating Extremism, soldiers of the Russian Guard and members of the organization “Russian Community of Orenburg” came to Pose. Later, a video of their joint trip to a gay club appeared on the “Community” social networks. At the beginning of the video, a certain man in civilian clothes says from the stage: “Dear visitors, a special operation of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs is being carried out.” He “warns” people not to talk to each other and promises that “everything will be within the law.” After this, the camera shows the faces of club visitors, employees and even artists in their underwear. The man, meanwhile, invites “those who are under 18 years old to approach the stage themselves in a good way.”

Then the recording shows employees of the Center for Combating Extremism walking around a gay club along with strong young men in paramilitary jackets; a close-up of the “Russian Community of Orenburg” patch and a “pirate” chevron with a Guy Fawkes mask above two crossed sabers are shown. The camera also shows the faces of the people in the club in close-up. At the end, a voice-over asks the man: “How did you end up here, in a fag club?” He replies that he “came in for coffee.” The voice-over says, “Okay, we’ll figure it out,” and then proudly adds: “The Russian community is working.”

The description of the video states that the club “with the support of the Russian Community of Orenburg carried out operational search activities on the subject of LGBT propaganda.”

Among other things, the report states that “during the special operation” “2 video recorders, 5 smartphones, 4 laptops, 2 bags of 12 sets of women’s clothing were seized; 15 women’s wigs.”

Searches were also carried out at the home of the club administrators, where wigs, “sets of women’s clothing” and “false female breasts” were found. “This is not the decaying West, this is the deep rear of a country at war for the third year,” indignant in the “Russian Community” (spelling preserved).

The police published their report only a week and a half later and did not mention in it the “support” from the “Russian Community”. At the beginning of the video, a police officer, saying “Get over here,” drags a kneeling man by the scruff of his neck. The police then show the interior of the club, with the patrons’ faces blurred out. A man’s voice can be heard shouting hysterically: “Everyone has turned their face to the wall, no one is looking here!” Several people are lying on the floor of the club, another is “stretching” – standing with his legs spread wide apart. The next shots show a back room with bottles of alcohol, then an office space where a picture of a muscular man naked to the waist hangs above the computer. The police camera lingers on this image before panning to the performers’ dressing room, where wigs and colorful stage costumes hang on the walls.

“During the searches, police found and seized video recorders, smartphones, laptops, bags of women’s clothing and wigs. In addition, it was established that the establishment sold alcoholic products without accompanying documents certifying the legality of its production,” the Ministry of Internal Affairs said in a statement. “Law enforcement officers interviewed employees and visitors of the establishment; more than 15 statements were received about illegal activities aimed at promoting LGBT people.”

On March 18, the head of the Safe Internet League, Ekaterina Mizulina, announced the initiation of a criminal case “in connection with the activities of the Pose club.” She clarified, that this is the first case since the Supreme Court in 2023 recognized the “International LGBT Movement” as extremist and banned it in the Russian Federation. Ms. Mizulina added that local activists “drew the attention of the club’s activities,” but did not specify who we were talking about.

After this, the police detained Alexander Klimov and Diana Kamilyanova. “The bar administrator selected staff, controlled the quality of service to bar visitors, approved programs of performances and events, provided photographic and video recording of performances promoting non-traditional sexual relationships, and also performed financial and economic functions,” the court recounted the position of the investigation. “The art director of the bar carried out the selection of drag queens.” artists, held meetings with them, promoted non-traditional sexual relationships among visitors to the bar and in the Telegram mobile application.” The club employees were sent to a pre-trial detention center until May 18, 2024.

Lawyer and human rights activist Maxim Olenichev (included in the register of foreign agents) recalls that on March 1, 2024, information about the “International LGBT Social Movement” was included in the list of extremist organizations. After this, it became possible to hold people criminally liable for “organizing the activities” of a prohibited movement, “if such actions were committed after 00:00 on March 2, 2024.”

The expert believes that the activities of “LGBT clubs” are not extremist “even taking into account the broad and vague formulations” of the Supreme Court. “LGBT extremism, as follows from the decision of the Supreme Court, means precisely activist activities for the promotion of equal rights for LGBT people, and not entertainment activities involving drag queen shows,” says the expert. “A bar is an entertainment business, and it has never been a “structural subdivision” of the movement. Therefore, bringing the administrator and art director to criminal liability is not based on the current law on extremism. There is no crime in their actions.”

Also, Maxim Olenichev (included in the register of foreign agents) recalled the clarification of the plenum of the Supreme Court in 2011. It says that “organizing the activities of an extremist organization” is actions to continue or resume the already existing activities of such an organization. This could be, for example, calling meetings or organizing the recruitment of new members. “It is obvious that when people come to a bar, they do not become members of any organization, but freely exercise their leisure time,” says the expert. At the same time, he is not surprised that the security forces opened such a case: “Almost all public LGBT initiatives in Russia that really fought for equal rights for LGBT people have already closed and transferred their activities online. Among the offline platforms, only bars and clubs that are visited by LGBT people remain. That’s why investigators turned their attention to them.”

“It is obvious to lawyers that this practice will be widely applicable throughout the country in the future,” Vyacheslav Yablokov, managing partner and lawyer of the Yablokov and Partners bureau, told Kommersant. “Themis, represented by the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, has outlined a position regarding LGBT people and corresponding symbols , when this movement was officially recognized as extremist. Since then, information has been published about a series of situations involving the initiation of various cases of displaying LGBT symbols, and events have been held in clubs positioning themselves as part of the community. Therefore, the case under consideration is no longer unique – the linking of extremism to LGBT people took place several months ago, which is widely known.”

Let us recall that after the decision of the Supreme Court, lawyer Dmitry Agranovsky assured TASS, that “we are not and cannot be talking about discrimination against ordinary citizens who do not propagate the ideas of this movement and do not involve third parties in its participation.” He recalled that “the propaganda of non-traditional relationships has long been prohibited in the country, so nothing should change directly today for citizens who are not engaged in political struggle.”

Alexander Chernykh; Georgy Portnov, Samara