Discriminatory anti-LGBTQIA+ laws have been in force in Russia for more than a decade. We publish research and data revealing the harmful consequences of these laws. The goal is to gather evidence necessary for future legal reform and condemnation of the Russian discriminatory state policies.
In recent years, the pressure on LGBTQIA+ people in Russia has increased with the introduction of new discriminatory policies, such as the updated “gay propaganda” law and the Supreme Court decision to list the so-called “International LGBT Movement” as an extremist organisation. The Grey Rainbow project is an ongoing effort to document harms caused by these anti-LGBTQIA+ policies, including direct consequences, such as fines for “gay propaganda”, and indirect consequences like hate crimes.
In our latest research, we analysed court rulings to identify hate crimes committed against LGBTQIA+ individuals for the past 14 years, between 2010 and 2023. In the absence of official statistics, this data offers insight into the scale and dynamics of SOGIESC-based violence. We identified more than 1,200 hate crimes, with an increase after the 2013 “gay propaganda” law came into effect. We are continuing to gather data on cases that occurred in 2024.
Learn more about the goals of Grey Rainbow and our research on the project website.