Russian Politics Today Stability and Fragility

Drawing on feminist and LGBTQ+ scholarship, this chapter discusses the role of gender and sexuality in Russian politics, which has risen in significance over the past two decades. It addresses Soviet legacies of gender and sexual norms in contemporary Russia, the use of homophobia by Putin’s regime, and feminist and LGBTQ+ grassroots mobilizations. Most notably, the chapter shows how the Russian government has instrumentalized homophobia via the infamous “gay propaganda” legislation and the utilization of the concept of “traditional family values.” Domestically, the regime’s application of political homophobia has resulted in a discursive othering of LGBTQ+ Russians, as well as a marked increase in anti-LGBTQ+ violence and discrimination. Internationally, the Russian government’s efforts advance its anti-“Western” stand and allow it to claim leadership in global conservative alliances. At the same time, this regime of repression has resulted in a proliferation of varied forms of feminist and LGBTQ+ resistance, paradoxically becoming a legitimate part of Russian opposition politics. The chapter concludes by discussing ways in which the diverse front of Russian LGBTQ+ and feminist activists have responded to the sexism, heteronormativity, and silencing efforts of the government and mainstream Russian society.