Russian Court Declares "Alliance of Heterosexuals and LGBT for Equality" Extremist

A city court in St. Petersburg has declared the human rights group “Alliance of Heterosexuals and LGBT for Equality” an “extremist organization” and banned its activities. The lawsuit was filed by the Russian Ministry of Justice. The trial was held behind closed doors.

According to human rights defenders from the “First Department” project, the court satisfied the Ministry of Justice’s demands in just two hearings. The lawsuit was based on a late 2023 ruling by the Russian Supreme Court, which declared the non-existent “international LGBT public movement” extremist and banned its activities in the country.

The “Alliance of Heterosexuals and LGBT for Equality” was created in 2012 in response to a campaign to ban “LGBT propaganda” in St. Petersburg. This is the tenth LGBT initiative in Russia to receive the status of an “extremist organization.” Previously, courts made similar decisions regarding the Russian LGBT Network, the “Coming Out” center, “Parni+,” “Center T,” the “LGBT Resource Center,” and other groups.

As noted by The Insider, in the materials of such cases, authorities cite activities like holding meetings for non-binary people or events related to International Coming Out Day as signs of “extremist activity.” Repression against LGBT activists in Russia has intensified since 2026 following the Supreme Court’s decision.