This post was inspired by a facebook conversations sparked by this article from Slavic Sacramento, which explored the meaning of PRIDE in today’s political climate and the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ individuals across immigrant communities.
This post is a record, a reflection, and a response. What began as a tense online exchange quickly unraveled into a case study in fear, misinformation, and targeted moral panic. I share it here not to elevate the voice of hate, but to give others a mirror into how these attacks often play out—and how they can be met with clarity and truth.
If you’re openly LGBTQ+, especially in Russian-speaking spaces, you eventually encounter someone like Vladimir. It begins predictably: a claim that queer people are “forcing their lifestyle” on others. But what followed in this case wasn’t just disagreement—it was escalation. And it got personal, fast.
“Если бы вы так усиленно не навязывали свои сомнительные ценности и образ жизни, вас бы никто и не замечал.”
“If you didn’t so aggressively push your questionable values and lifestyle, no one would even notice you.”
I responded with what I thought was a straightforward clarification: being visible is not the same as imposing. LGBTQ+ people aren’t demanding special rights, just equal treatment. I referenced the dignity of existing freely and without fear.
Vladimir didn’t agree. He escalated quickly, launching into graphic accusations and pseudo-factual claims. From slanderous personal stories to ideological talking points, his replies grew angrier, longer, and more disturbing. He began to project accusations rooted in old Soviet taboos, laden with sexualized imagery and rumors passed off as lived experience.
Here are just a few of his key assertions:
“Гомосексуалисты совращают мальчиков в шоу-бизнесе.”
“Homosexuals seduce boys in the entertainment industry.”
“Ваше движение — это в некотором смысле терроризм.”
“Your movement is, in a certain sense, terrorism.”
“Вы поддерживаете террористов в Палестине. Это факт.”
“You support terrorists in Palestine. That’s a fact.”
Each claim is not just inflammatory but designed to provoke, dehumanize, and deflect. They echo dangerous tropes used for decades to incite fear against marginalized groups. By framing LGBTQ+ identity as inherently predatory or destabilizing, Vladimir relies on centuries-old slander to justify exclusion.
LGBTQ+ people exist in every society and always have. Visibility does not force anyone to be queer—it simply allows those who are to live safely. When schools acknowledge LGBTQ+ identities, youth experience lower rates of depression, bullying, and suicide.
Visibility fosters resilience. It builds safe spaces. And it affirms that all children—regardless of how they grow up—deserve truth, not shame.
Source: GLSEN. (2021). The 2021 National School Climate Survey. https://www.glsen.org/research/2021-national-school-climate-survey
The myth that LGBTQ+ people are uniquely predatory stems from moral panics in the 20th century. It has no scientific basis. Numerous studies from both the American Psychological Association and the FBI demonstrate no correlation between LGBTQ+ identity and abuse.
Spreading this lie not only stigmatizes queer people—it diverts attention from real abuse prevention.
Sources:
- American Psychological Association. (2008). Answers to Your Questions for a Better Understanding of Sexual Orientation and Homosexuality. https://www.apa.org/topics/lgbtq/orientation
- Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2019). Crime in the United States: Uniform Crime Reports. https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2019/crime-in-the-u.s.-2019
Vladimir’s third point is a red herring. Some LGBTQ+ activists in the West have expressed solidarity with Palestinian civilians—not Hamas or terrorism. These actions are rooted in humanitarian concern, not ideological alliance. They reflect a commitment to opposing oppression wherever it occurs.
Ironically, LGBTQ+ people face persecution in Gaza. Many flee to Israel or Europe to survive. Supporting Palestinian people’s human rights while condemning violent regimes is not hypocrisy—it’s nuance.
Sources:
- Human Rights Watch. (2020). Palestinian Authorities Arrest Activists from LGBT Group. https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/09/16/palestinian-authorities-arrest-activists-lgbt-group
- OutRight International. (2022). Palestine. https://outrightinternational.org/region/palestine
- BBC. (2021). The LGBTQ Palestinians Seeking Asylum in Israel. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-57411274
After stepping away from the thread, I asked the question that haunts most of us who endure this kind of attack:
Why does someone like Vladimir care so much, and why does his tone get darker the more you respond with facts?
People who obsess over the sexual behavior of others often have unresolved issues—internalized shame, latent curiosity, or unresolved trauma. Vladimir’s fixation with soldier prostitution, street corners, and entertainment industry stories is oddly detailed. This points not to analysis, but projection.
In many authoritarian or patriarchal cultures, LGBTQ+ visibility is seen as chaos—something that threatens a rigid worldview. People like Vladimir may not be harmed directly by our existence, but they resent no longer controlling the narrative.
They see acknowledgment of LGBTQ+ identity as an erasure of their authority. Rage replaces understanding when power is questioned.
Vladimir doesn’t just argue. He performs. His moral outrage is not accidental—it’s central to how he sees himself: as a warrior for traditional values. This performance gives him status in online circles.
But moral panic is a hollow identity. It depends on an enemy. And when that enemy pushes back with compassion and truth, it collapses.
In response to Vladimir, I wrote:
“Вы не делитесь фактами — вы оправдываете ненависть. Вы превращаете личные эпизоды в обобщения, разжигаете страх и отказываете людям в праве на уважение. Это не правда — это демагогия.”
“You’re not sharing facts—you’re justifying hate. You turn isolated stories into generalizations, fuel fear, and deny people the right to dignity. That’s not truth—it’s demagoguery.”
I chose not to respond further. Because truth deserves clarity, but it also deserves peace.
To anyone reading who’s been targeted, misrepresented, or told you are “too much”: your existence is not a provocation. You don’t owe anyone silence. You don’t need permission to live, love, or speak.
Let the record show: hate lost this round. Because truth stood up. And stayed standing.
References
American Psychological Association. (2008). Answers to Your Questions for a Better Understanding of Sexual Orientation and Homosexuality. https://www.apa.org/topics/lgbtq/orientation
BBC. (2021). The LGBTQ Palestinians Seeking Asylum in Israel. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-57411274
Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2019). Crime in the United States: Uniform Crime Reports. https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2019/crime-in-the-u.s.-2019
GLSEN. (2021). The 2021 National School Climate Survey. https://www.glsen.org/research/2021-national-school-climate-survey
Human Rights Watch. (2020). Palestinian Authorities Arrest Activists from LGBT Group. https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/09/16/palestinian-authorities-arrest-activists-lgbt-group
OutRight International. (2022). Palestine. https://outrightinternational.org/region/palestine
Mikhail Oparin 