LGBT Teen Support Group To Be Charged In Russia

November 18, 2014

A Russian journalist who runs an online support group for LGBT teenagers is to be charged under the country's controversial law on promoting "gay propoganda" to minors.

Russia's media watchdog, Roskomnadzor, said it had received more than 150 complaints from "citizens and organizations" about Deti-404 (Children-404), which was founded and is run by Yelena Klimova.

The number "404" refers to the "page not found" error code in Internet searches.

Roskomnadzor did not specify what on the project's pages constituted "gay propaganda" and suggested Klimova was not fit to counsel LGBT teenagers.

Klimova slammed the country's "gay propaganda" law and accused authorities of failing to provide support to LGBT teenagers in a country where homophobia is widespread.

"If those 'problems' should be handled by 'professionals' … and not amateurs like myself, then where are they?" she said on her LiveJournal page.

Based on reporting by "The Moscow Times" and the "Calvert Journal"