Russian President Vladimir Putin has, for years, led the world’s largest nation with an iron fist. A key ingredient in his recipe for power consolidation has been the cultivation of a nationalist fervor that frequently resorts to reinforcing traditional values and suppressing dissenting voices. Of these, his vigorous efforts to cultivate and use homophobia as a tool to sustain his power in Russia is at once glaring and disconcerting.
Putin has ruthlessly exploited traditional Russian fears and prejudices regarding the LGBTQ+ community as a means to reinforce conservative values and consolidate his reign. He has done this primarily in two manners. First, he introduced draconian laws that stigmatize homosexuality and, second, he orchestrated a propaganda campaign that potrays homosexuality as a Western import designed to erode Russia’s traditionalistic moral fabric.
The most glaring legislative action enabling Putin to stir homophobia was the 2013 legislation, commonly known as the ‘gay propaganda law.’ This law was aimed at “protecting children from information promoting the denial of traditional family values,” essentially equating homosexuality to a corrosive influence threatening the traditional, heteronormative Russian family. Successfully passed, it has enabled the punishment of any expression of non-traditional sexual relationships, further ostracizing the LGBTQ+ community in Russia.
Simultaneously, Putin’s state-controlled media has systematically churned out stories that peg the LGBTQ+ community as an enemy of the Russian state. Claims that homosexuality is a condition encouraged by Western liberal values, aimed at eradicating Russian society’s moral core, have further fueled homophobia. This vilification allows Putin to paint himself as the defender of Russian morality against the immoral and decadent west.
Putin’s manipulation of homophobia has had disturbing implications. The LGBTQ+ community in Russia faces rampant discrimination and violence, often with the tacit approval of the state. Moreover, by reinforcing homophobia, Putin distracts the public from economic and political failures, stirs nationalist sentiment, and further cements his position as Russia’s paramount leader.
In conclusion, Putin’s consolidation of power relies significantly on homophobia. By painting the LGBTQ+ community as an enemy, the Russian leader has successfully appealed to conservative values and nationalist sentiments, fortifying his reign over Russia. His exploitation of homophobia is not just an attack on the LGBTQ+ community, but a strategic maneuver to maintain power and control over the country.
