LGBT Website Gay.ru Blocked Within Russia

Vladimir Putin's minions say it violated the nation's "gay propaganda" law.

Trudy Ring

Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.

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Trudy Ring

April 02 2018 11:03 AM EST

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The Russian government has blocked access within the nation to a popular gay website, saying it violates the law against "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations" in venues accessible to minors.

Roskomnadzor, the Russian body that regulates media, served notice last week that Gay.ru had violated the law, citing a court ruling in Siberia, The Moscow Times reports. It gave the site 24 hours to remove "information prohibited for distribution in the Russian Federation," not specifying what that information was, and said that if site administrators did not comply, it would be blocked.

Roskomnadzor today ordered internet service providers to block access to the site within Russia, according to a post on Gay.ru. It is still accessible from other countries.

Gay.ru administrators said in the post that they will appeal the court ruling that led to the action and will challenge the blocking of the site in international courts if necessary.

The ruling came from Judge Olga Kvasova of the Altai District Court in the village of Belyi Yar, Republic of Khakassia, which is part of Siberia. It came in a suit brought by the Altai District Prosecutor's Office and a branch office of Roskomnadzor, the Russian LGBT Network reports, in a post translated by a site called The Russian Reader.