Dear friends –
It’s been tough for us here in Russia this year.
The anti-gay crackdown in Chechnya resumed and it turned out to be even worse than we thought. At least 40 people were arrested and tortured this year, just because authorities "suspected" they were LGBT+.
Later in the year, I was shocked and frightened to learn that my personal information and photos were on an anti-LGBT+ blacklist encouraging people to hunt down LGBT+ activists, supporters, and journalists.
This is NOT normal, even for Russia.
Fortunately, we could count on the support of All Out members, who jumped into action to fund the emergency evacuation of LGBT+ people at risk in Chechnya and to keep bringing the world’s attention to the atrocities happening in Chechnya and Russia.
Knowing that we aren’t alone is everything – it inspires us to fight for our lives and our rights more than ever.
With your help, I’m never giving up.
One out of every 10 LGBT+ people in Russia has experienced physical abuse. But police usually ignore our reports. It’s as if they don’t want to acknowledge that we exist.
Last September, a court in St. Petersburg ruled to block my organization’s official page on the most popular Russian social network, "Vkontakte," for promoting "nontraditional sexual relations." We’re just the latest victims in a long series of LGBT+ people and organizations silenced by Russia’s "homosexual propaganda ban."
All Out members have fought back against Russia’s hateful laws before – and won.
When 16-year-old Maxim was charged with breaking the propaganda law for posting images of "partly nude" men on social media, All Out members jumped into action, petitioning for the charges to be dropped. And it worked – Maxim was found not guilty.
We don’t know what will happen in 2020, but with enough support, we can be ready. Lives depend on it.
Thanks for going All Out,
Misha Tumasov,
Russian LGBT Network
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