Rescuing independent LGBT Russian language media

Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian government has intensified its repression against the LGBTQ+ community. Most queer media outlets in Russian have either shut down or changed their focus. In independent media, LGBTQ+ issues remain marginalized. Journalists are often discouraged by negative comments and a drop in viewership when mentioning LGBTQ+ topics. Queer individuals are frequently portrayed as victims of the regime rather than active participants in the discussion.

“Guys PLUS” operates at the intersection of LGBTQ+ and socio-political issues. We provide the LGBTQ+ community with news and support resources, highlighting the connection between the criminal invasion of Ukraine and queerphobic repression. Independent media turn to us for expertise on LGBTQ+ topics.

We plan to strengthen both of these positions and also begin working with opposition politicians. Currently, they often make queerphobic statements, but our invitations to interviews and inquiries will serve as a channel of communication with their future LGBTQ+ voters.

Our current publication priorities:

•Supporting the anti-war movement.

•Promoting the psychological well-being of LGBTQ+ individuals.

•Supporting LGBTQ+ initiatives working within the country.

•Providing legal information for LGBTQ+ people.

•Covering the situation around the adoption of new propaganda laws.

•Exposing hate speech by politicians and propagandists.

We are also growing our Telegram channel, which now has 26,000 subscribers. Thanks to your support, we continue our work every day.

Over this period, we have published 144 articles on our website. As of this report, these publications have been viewed by 1,015,000 unique visitors.

Thank you very much for your support of our work. If you are able to subscribe to a monthly donation, it would greatly help us, as it allows us to plan our work more effectively.

In 2023, despite the blockage, the website's audience reached 3,5  million visitors, while the audience of the Telegram channel doubled from 10 to 20 thousand subscribers. A total of 1711 materials were released: articles, interviews, guides, and news.

We launched a service for equal consultations. Clients of equal consultations not only receive information, redirection to assisting specialists and organizations, but also help better understand the community's needs.

More than 10% of the materials consist of interviews and audience surveys. We not only convey the agenda of the activist and service communities to the audience but also increase the visibility of ordinary LGBTQ+ individuals and their interests.

In the context of the deteriorating situation of LGBTQ+ people in Russia, we continue to highlight not only the dark but also the positive aspects of community life. In our publications, readers find not only alarming news but also resources for support during difficult times.

However, we keep on working. Thanks to your support, our news specialist continues to work. Over the period, we have posted 231 publications on the site, 79 features and 231 news pieces.

Thank you very much for your support of our work.

Links:

• problems in Georgia
• Country guides for LGBT migration