A non-profit organization providing mental health and legal support services to LGBTQ+ people in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg announced Monday that it would shut down after coming underanti-queer pressure.The organization, called Lupta, was created in April 2023 as a support center for people facing discrimination over their sexual identity after its predecessor, the LGBT Resource Center, was designated a foreign agent.
Lupta organized lectures and provided individual consultations to LGBTQ+ Russians.Luptas closure comes almost a year after the Russian Supreme Court banned the so-called international LGBT movement as extremist, effectively criminalizing any form of LGBTQ+ rights advocacy in the country.The last two years in Russia have been devastating for the queer community.
It also affected us, the organization said in a statement posted on Telegram.The Lupta project will not be able to continue its work due to the anti-queer atmosphere [in the country], it said.
Our priority has always been the safety of the venue, and unfortunately, we can no longer guarantee this.Lupta had been inactive since August when it said it would be taking a vacation.Russia has for years been criticized over its LGBTQ+ rights record, including a 2013 law banning gay propaganda among minors, as well as a ban on the adoption of children by same-sex couples in foreign countries.