LGBTQ+ Russians are “ordinary people” in new photo book working to combat rising hate in the country

Photographer Ksenia Kuleshova calls the subjects in her new book, Ordinary People, her “heroes.” That’s how she described them even before the Russian Supreme Court declared the “international LGBT social movement” an “extremist organization” at the behest of President Vladimir Putin’s Ministry of Justice last week.

Beginning in 2013 with the passage of legislation banning so-called “gay propaganda” in the presence of children, Russia has been steadily increasing political hostility toward the LGBTQ+ community. Last year, the propaganda law was expanded to effectively outlaw all public expressions of support for LGBTQ+ people, and earlier this year, Putin signed a law banning gender-affirming care and denying transgender people the right to marry or adopt children.

Related:

Russia outlaws all LGBTQ+ groups & people as “extremist” threats

The order is the latest attack in Vladimir Putin’s anti-LGBTQ+ crusade.

Against that climate, the Russian-born Kuleshova, who is now based in Germany and Belgium, set out between 2018 and 2022 to document the lives and experiences of out LGBTQ+ people living both in Russia and in the former Soviet states of Armenia and Georgia. She ended up with hundreds of photographs and interviews, 75 of which appear in Ordinary People, a document she hopes will help counter harmful stereotypes about LGBTQ+ people that are still common in the region.

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Kuleshova spoke to LGBTQ Nation via Zoom earlier this week as news of the ramifications of last week’s ruling began to trickle out of Russia.

LGBTQ NATION: I want to start with what must be weighing on your mind: the Russian Supreme Court’s ruling declaring the “international LGBT social movement” an “extremist organization.” By last Friday police were already reportedly raiding LGBTQ+ bars and other establishments. Have you heard from any of the people you photographed and interviewed in Russia since then?

KSENIA KULESHOVA: Yes, I wrote with some of them via different channels, and asked how they were. Of course, most of them are terrified and shocked — not surprised. Every time you think, No, this can’t just happen, it’s ridiculous. But, yeah, only bad news from home. I’m really worried about them. But that’s reality.

To be honest, I’m proud of the book and of my heroes, but it’s sad that this topic is now so…actual. That this terrible news makes the book even more important. I wouldn’t want that to happen.

LGBTQ NATION: What have they told you?

KK: Some of them are already relocated, some of them are trying to emigrate now, and of course, because of the political situation it’s not so easy. There is one German petition, readers can support it, because if they have enough people who sign it, then the German government will make it easier for transgender people from Russia to emigrate to Germany. And of course, with the new law that transgender people can’t get access to their medication, now it’s just a question of survival for some of them.

One of the heroes, he’s a drag queen, and he told me that he will have a discussion with his boss, because they now don’t know if they can continue or not. It’s uncertain for him, he doesn’t know whether he will have a job or not.

LGBTQ NATION: Those that are still in Russia, have they told you anything about precautions they’re taking to protect themselves?

KK: Of course, now they are careful, and they don’t know how to continue. It was very important for me in my project that I worked just with people who are already open, who are already out. Of course, there are people who are partly open, too, for example, to friends or one parent, but not to grandparents. But in general, nobody made a coming out in my project because I knew it could be dangerous. But they are still trying to protest.

LGBTQ NATION: Have they told you anything about what they may be doing to protest or combat the Supreme Court’s ruling? Is there anything they can do?

KK: I think they are now trying to just regroup, to see how they can work in new circumstances to somehow avoid the law. To use, maybe, another [acronym], to use another word that will describe LGBTQ. So, they’re thinking about that, how they can change formats. Of course, human rights organizations, they still can continue working and now they are overflowed with all the questions and people who want to emigrate, or just want some help.

Also, people don’t know what will happen, if it’s just to scare and no actions will be done.

LGBTQ NATION: You mean, you don’t know what enforcement of the law will look like?

KK: Yeah. Is it like, the law is mainly against activists and human rights organizations, or will it also mean that you can’t go to any LGBTQ-friendly club?

I think today I read the news that there is an organization with maps, with locations that they are marking gay-friendly or something. They asked to share information. I read that one man who works in this organization, he tried to inform friendly bars or clubs, but of course I don’t know if he could inform everyone, because it’s many places.

LGBTQ NATION: The company, 2GIS, directed its employees to gather information on LGBTQ+ establishments on the digital maps it creates and put them in a specific register. There hasn’t been much English-language reporting on this, but have you seen anything indicating what the company intends to do with that information?

KK: I’m afraid they will share it [with the Russian government]. I don’t consider myself an activist, I just follow the news. I’m not in constant contact with activists… But I hope nothing serious will happen, that it’s just another scary measure before elections to show the position that “we are for traditional families.”

LGBTQ NATION: This idea of the traditional family, of traditional values, of ordinary people — that’s what your book and your photographs convey. These are just people with values and lives. So, tell me how you developed this project.

KK: I must mention that I’m a heterosexual woman. I was raised in a very homophobic society. I moved to Europe when I was 22, and many friends told me that they are gay. And they were asking me, “What is the situation in Russia?” And I didn’t have anything to tell them, but I was always shocked to see how the LGBTQ community is represented. It’s always about makeup, always about naked bodies in bed. And I was always like, “Yeah, but it can’t be just that.” Of course that’s a part of, but it’s not just this.

I started to be curious, and then I met one couple in the Copenhagen airport. We started to talk and they told me they’re from Saint Petersburg. I saw they are openly gay on Instagram and thought, “How is it possible? Is it not dangerous for them?” All these questions were in my head, and I thought that it would be an interesting topic for me to work on.

LGBTQ NATION: I think people in the U.S. will likely have similar questions. We read headlines about the anti-LGBTQ+ laws in Russia and perhaps think that there is no gay social life or out LGBTQ+ people there. But your book puts the lie to that.

KK: So, the LGBT community has been oppressed in Russia for so many years, but they always found a way to — Thirty years ago, people went to jail just because of their identity. It’s only been 30 years, but in these years they’ve done so much. They will protest on the streets even when it’s dangerous. I think that in Russian society, they don’t know much, maybe, because there’s no sexual education in school. But I can’t say that everyone is homophobic. They try to make them homophobic or persuade them that it’s not normal, it’s Western values, and now they even try to make the LGBT community responsible for the war [in Ukraine].

But the LGBT community, they are proud, they will continue doing what they have to do, they just have to find the way to do it. And, also, there are many LGBT activists from Russia who are now in exile, and they do a lot.

LGBTQ NATION: So, you’re saying there’s a bit of a disconnect between what the Russian government says are Russian values and real people’s views on the LGBTQ+ community?

KK: Yes, but in the big cities. In all the cities where I photographed, there was nightlife — of course, everything was underground — organizations, different activities, self-defense clubs for LGBTQ people. So, there is much happening. But it’s Moscow, Saint Petersburg — all big cities.

But I worked in one small village where two German women lived — a couple. And I was surprised. Not all people know about them, but they live there.

Of course, I also heard terrible stories from some of the heroes. One teenager, he came out to his parents. They were very angry. They threw him out and said they don’t want to know him anymore, and he moved to Moscow. Then he found out that his parents organized a fake funeral for him to explain to neighbors why he disappeared. So, I don’t want to portray Russia as not a homophobic country. There is a big problem, but there is a big difference between big cities and villages — as in any country.

I think this book is also very important not just for oppressive countries, but also for Europe for example. Recently, I gave a lecture in one school, and when I started to present Ordinary People, I said, “It’s ridiculous that we still have to explain that to be gay is normal.” Two girls were very shocked, “Do you really think it’s normal to be gay?”

LGBTQ NATION: We’re definitely seeing a backlash to progress on LGBTQ+ rights and visibility here in the U.S., and some critics have drawn parallels between some of the “Don’t Say Gay” laws here and Russia’s 2013 anti-LGBTQ+ “propaganda” law. I wonder if the experiences of the folks you feature in Ordinary People are in some ways almost cautionary tales for people in…

KK: Everywhere. It’s everywhere. When I hear, for example, some European friends tell me, “Here we’re in freedom.” But step by step, this freedom can be taken away. We see now the results of elections. Everyone should be aware. To me, it’s important to talk about Russia because it’s my homeland and because there are not many projects from this country, and Armenia and Georgia as well. But it’s also important for the whole world, because we see homophobia, and all phobias, they are in every country.

Most important for me is, when we see how a minority is oppressed, that means that the next day, you can be the next one. Minorities normally are the first target.

LGBTQ NATION: I want to ask about the photos themselves. How did you go about developing the look of the images and what did you want to convey?

KK: It’s not that I realized at the beginning how I wanted to photograph this project. I started just to document, and then I thought, if this book — if homophobes read it, I want to try to change their opinion. I understand it doesn’t happen immediately, it’s a long process. But I thought, “How can I start this process of reflection?” I thought I shouldn’t provoke my audience. Of course, as I said, the stage, beautiful dresses, makeup, it’s all part of my book. But I wanted to find moments that unite all of us despite our orientation, religion, etc. Ordinary moments, everyday life that happens in every home. So, that’s what I wanted to show, that we are all the same. My focus was there.

LGBTQ NATION: You also conducted interviews with all of your subjects. Were there particular quotes that really resonated with you?

KK: They all speak about love, and how the journey to self-love was difficult. And how they appreciate the journey now and how they are happy to be openly gay. They’re proud of themselves, and that was great to hear and what I wanted to share with the world. Even if you’re in danger, you still can cherish the moment and find your own happiness. When I saw how they built their lives… They’re just so brave.