TikTok Couple Arrested Under Anti-LGBT+ Legislation

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A gay couple in Russia who are popular on TikTok have been arrested and charged with violating the country’s strict anti-LGBTQ+ laws.

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Gela Gogishvili, a 23-year-old Russian, and his Chinese boyfriend Haoyang Xu, who is 21, were arrested by police in the city of Kazan on Wednesday.

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They were charged under a series of Russian laws that include a ban on the positive portrayal of LGBTQ+ persons in media and the dissemination of “gay propaganda” to minors.

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Gogishvili was released, but Haoyang remains in a Russian jail facing the threat of immediate deportation.

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The couple has a popular TikTok channel with over 370,000 followers, where they post short videos about their life together as a gay couple.

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They met two years ago on a dating app and have endured abuse from “homophobes” during that period, but nothing compared to what happened next.

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They said their lives were thrown into chaos when they learned they were under investigation for promoting their life as a gay couple on social media.

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Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a new law expanding a 2013 ban against spreading “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations” to minors to also include adults.

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The new law took effect on December 5, 2022, and made it illegal to promote or “praise” LGBTQ+ relationships, publicly express non-heterosexual orientations, or suggest that they are “normal.”

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The new law also banned all advertising, media, and online resource books, films, and theater productions that affirm the LGBTQ+ community or individuals.

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If convicted, Gogishvili and Xu will be subject to administrative fines while Xu could be immediately deported. They are expected to appear in court later today.

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