Russia Adds the LGBT Movement to list of Extremist and 'Terrorist Organisations'

In a controversial move, Russia has officially added the “LGBT movement” to its list of extremist and terrorist organizations, according to state media reports.

The decision follows a Supreme Court ruling last November, which declared that LGBT activists should be treated as extremists. Representatives of Russia’s gay and transgender communities have warned that this could lead to arrests, prosecutions, and further suppression of their rights.

The list, managed by the Russian financial monitoring agency Rosfinmonitoring, already includes over 14,000 people and groups considered extremist or terrorist. It features organizations ranging from Al Qaeda to the U.S. tech company Meta, as well as associates of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Being on the list allows authorities to freeze bank accounts and restrict financial activities.

State news agency RIA reported that the new designation targets the “international LGBT social movement and its structural units.”

This action comes amid President Vladimir Putin’s push for traditional family values, which he presents as a contrast to what he calls the “decadence” of Western culture. Over the past decade, Russia has tightened laws around sexual orientation and gender identity, banning the promotion of “non-traditional” sexual relations and prohibiting legal or medical gender changes.