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Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times

Russian LGBTQ+ activists describe a climate of fear following new laws and court rulings

Los Angeles Times
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Russia 's Supreme Court effectively outlawed any promotion of LGBTQ+ rights.

Members of the LGBTQ+ community can be prosecuted and imprisoned for up to six years .

Many people like Gela Gogishvili and Haoyang Xu have fled Russia .

Putin insists Russia does n’t discriminate against LGBTQ+ people.

Anna , a 25-year-old transgender Muscovite , said being part of the community provided the courage to transition last year .

Anna considers herself lucky to have a good-paying job to afford a doctor advising her from abroad on hormonal therapy.

Julia , another transgender woman, also says she wants to stay, describing it as a mission to show that “people like me are not necessarily weak”.