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Our existence is a reality Russian “gay propaganda laws” of 2013 punishes and bans the promotion of non-traditional relations to minors. The law is disguised as a way to protect children but what it actually does is that it increases the stigmatization of LGBTQ+ people in society. The law violates people’s rights to freedom of speech, and the law effectively bans all public demonstrations or events speaking in favour of LGBT rights. Many important LGBTQ+ support networks have been banned on the internet because of this law. Gay pride parades are met with much resistance by local authorities across Russia, On April 2017 Checnyan (Russian) authorities began an anti-LGBTQ+ purge where 100 men were arrested and tortured for being gay, many were murdered. In 2019, 40 LGBTQ+ men and women were arrested and tortured in another purge. Russian authorities do not care about queer people, they actively try to harm, torture and murder LGBTQ+ people in Russia. The Russian President, Government and police give a silent consent to these crimes. LGBTQ+ people live in fear as they are being discriminated against and attacks on queer people often go unreported by Police. Politicians and LGBT rights activists are murdered in Russia, advocates risk their lives and often lose them trying to improve LGBT peoples’ lives in Russia. This is for you, the brave, beautiful and kind-hearted human beings who are LGBTQ+ in Russia. Thank you for sharing your stories with me and I hope one day that Russia will rise from their hate and learn that love is simply love. Thanks to @alexiarosg and @haraldurlevy who helped me create the wings ❤ 📸@vitadminka