TV services in Russia were fined 50 million rubles for LGBT+ demonstrations

Russian courts have fined TV channels and online cinemas more than 50 million rubles for LGBT-related demonstrations. RBC writes about this with reference to Roskomnadzor.

Since December 2022, when the article on the prohibition of LGBT propaganda came into force in Russia, Roskomnadzor has issued 94 reports on it.

Of them, 86 concerned the demonstration of LGBT elements to minors, the rest – LGBT-related shows on the air. Online cinemas were fined 30.5 million rubles, TV channels – 20 million rubles.

Roskomnadzor found “LGBT propaganda” in the videos of Nikolai Baskov, Sergey Lazarev, Miley Cyrus and Dua Lipa, in the films “Little Italy”, “Love, Love, Love” and “Ideal Strangers”. It was possible to dispute the fine in relation to the film “V for Vendetta”: the film distributor proved that the Ministry of Culture prescribed the “16+” marking.

The interlocutor of RBC in a large online cinema noted that fines are issued without warning about the violation. Fearing new protocols, the services put the “18+” marking even on cartoons where the LGBT-related demonstration may be “a controversial clothing format or just a joke,” says the source.

• Since December 2022, the dissemination of positive information about homosexuality, bisexuality and transgenderism has been prohibited in Russia. Fines of up to 400,000 rubles for citizens and up to five million rubles for organizations are provided for this.
• In November 2023, the Supreme Court of Russia, at the request of the Ministry of Justice, decided to ban the non-existent international LGBT movement and declare it extremist.