PSA Shines Spotlight on Violence Against Russian LGBTs

An organization had released a stirring public service announcement that conveys the reality of the violence faced by LGBTs Russians.

Titled "The Scream," the video reenacts a scene from a real-life media image, in which a photographer stands by to record a man being assaulted. "To you they are just pictures," the concluding text reads. "For them, it's real life."

(We are) #GayPropaganda, the group that released the first of three planned PSAs, is raising awareness of Russia's antigay politics and culture through YouTube videos and other social media outlets. Its leaders are encouraging LGBT people and their allies worldwide to implement their own social networks to do the same.

"We are proud to release our first of three media pieces in an effort to humanize and more clearly illustrate the escalating violence against LGBT people in Russia," says Kevin Dolan, cofounder of the organization. "Social media has given us a platform to communicate who we are and what we believe. Our presence and the use of '#GayPropaganda' seeks to reclaim this term by unifying the conversations in order to provide education, support, and empowerment to LGBT people and their allies with an unshakable belief in the power of community."