Books that directly or indirectly evoke homosexuality are disappearing from bookstores in Russia

In Putin’s land, discrimination against the LGBTQI+ community takes the form of a book burning. If books that evoke homosexuality are not burned, they still disappear en masse from bookstores. Since the adoption of the law “against LGBT propaganda”, with the signature of the Russian head of state on December 5, booksellers are in fact forced to sort the books they sell, worth a fine of 10 million rubles (150,000 euros).

The self-censorship of booksellers

In a report published by France InterThursday 8 December, a Russian bookseller regrets not being able to take the risk of paying the fine required by law, otherwise he will cease trading. “For example this book, Basic Wiches, we bought the rights to it in the United States, translated it and published it. It’s not a propaganda work, it simply sometimes addresses readers by saying ‘your partner’. That’s why we unfortunately had to withdraw it from sale.explains.

An attempt to erase homosexuality

The so-called law banning “LGBT propaganda” is just the cultural counterpart of a broad attempt to eradicate homosexuality in Russia. In 2013, the text adopted by the Russian deputies was aimed only at minors and it was already too much. But on November 24, the Duma voted amendments that significantly expand the scope of this law. Now it bans “promoting non-traditional sexual relationships”to all audiences through media, books and films. In reality, Russia is simply trying to eradicate homosexuality on its territory. Already in 2014, on the eve of the Sochi Olympics, the human rights organization Human Rights Watch had released a video attesting to the violence perpetrated against LGBT people in Russia.