Rapper convicted under Russia’s anti-LGBTQ+ law for attending “nude illusion” party in just a sock

A Russian rapper was jailed under the country’s anti-LGBTQ+ “gay propaganda” law for attending a star-studded party in Moscow late last month wearing only a sock.

As The Guardian reported last week, Nikolai Vasilyev, who performs under the stage name Vacio, attended the December 20 event at Moscow nightclub Mutabor. Thrown by Russian social media influencer Anastasia Ivleeva, the event’s theme was reportedly “nude illusion,” and guests, including many well-known Russian celebrities, attended in revealing attire.

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“I wanted to find moments that unite all of us despite our orientation.”

Vasilyev wore sneakers and a sock covering his genitals a la the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

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The party sparked outrage from Russian officials and pro-Kremlin commentators after photos and videos began appearing on social media. Critics have blasted Ivleeva and her guests for attending the event as Russia’s war with Ukraine grinds on and claim that the party violated a Russian law banning the promotion of homosexuality in any context.

According to The Guardian, Vasilyev was summoned to court within days of the party and was sentenced to 15 days in jail under the “gay propaganda” law.

Russian President Vladimir Putin first signed a law banning so-called “gay propaganda” in Russia in June 2013. The law ostensibly sought to “protect children” from any “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relationships,” as stated in the law’s text. But the law has mostly been used to silence LGBTQ+ activist organizations, events, websites, and media, as well as to break up families and harass teachers. It has been roundly condemned by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, the human rights groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, as well as civil rights activists around the world.

In December 2022, Putin signed a law expanding the country’s prohibition on LGBTQ+ “propaganda.” The newer law effectively bans any public expression of LGBTQ+ life in Russia by prohibiting “any action or the spreading of any information that is considered an attempt to promote homosexuality in public, online, or in films, books or advertising,” Reuters reported.

In November, acting on the request of Putin’s Ministry of Justice, Russia’s Supreme Court declared the international gay rights movement as an “extremist organization.” The ruling has led to raids on LGBTQ+ bars and other establishments, while Russian LGBTQ+ organizations have been essentially forced underground.

According to the Washington Post, the radical Christian group Call of the People has asked the Russian prosecutor general’s office to open a criminal probe specifically to investigate “kissing men” and drug use at the December 20 event. Another Kremlin-connected group has called for a boycott of the celebrities who attended.

Facing backlash, Ivleeva and other celebrities have been forced to issue public apologies. Others have reportedly lost endorsement deals and had other events canceled.

The Sun reported that Vasilyev issued his own apology following his sentencing. “I want to say that I do not support LGBT and did not want to make any propaganda about this,” he said according to the tabloid. “I apologise for offending the feelings of other people and being a participant in such a terrible video at such a difficult time for our country.”