Russia Weighs Creating an LGBTQ+ Registry as Police Quietly Collects Data
Russian authorities have been discussing the creation of a registry of LGBTQ+ individuals, Meduza reports, citing sources within the Interior Ministry. In the spring of 2024, following the Supreme Court’s designation of the “international LGBT movement” as an extremist organization, officials explored launching a tracking system targeting transgender and queer people. According to the same sources, the ministry also considered a public database of sex workers, which would list administrative violations, including fines for “gay propaganda.”
Although no formal registry has been launched, law enforcement agencies are already gathering personal data through various methods. According to the human rights initiative SK SOS, officers copy down passport details during raids, obtain guest lists from events, arrange fake dates via dating apps, and question transgender individuals and medical clinics providing gender-affirming care. Journalists have also uncovered that personal data of trans people — including those who changed documents before the 2023 transition ban — has surfaced on the gray market.
Activists warn that these practices are being used for coercion, blackmail, or forced recruitment by authorities. In regions like Stavropol and Dagestan, queer individuals have been interrogated after police accessed their phones and private messages. Some report being pressured into informing on others within the LGBTQ+ community.
Legal experts at SK SOS stress that the only way to truly avoid exposure is to steer clear of queer-themed events, group chats, and public activism. They urge individuals to use anonymous profiles, avoid sharing personal data, and use encrypted messaging tools. Osip Drozdovsky, head of SK SOS’s legal department, cautions: “Being added to one of these databases could lead to leaks, blackmail, or worse. If you don’t want to end up in a registry, avoid any public visibility.”
Although no formal registry has been launched, law enforcement agencies are already gathering personal data through various methods. According to the human rights initiative SK SOS, officers copy down passport details during raids, obtain guest lists from events, arrange fake dates via dating apps, and question transgender individuals and medical clinics providing gender-affirming care. Journalists have also uncovered that personal data of trans people — including those who changed documents before the 2023 transition ban — has surfaced on the gray market.
Activists warn that these practices are being used for coercion, blackmail, or forced recruitment by authorities. In regions like Stavropol and Dagestan, queer individuals have been interrogated after police accessed their phones and private messages. Some report being pressured into informing on others within the LGBTQ+ community.
Legal experts at SK SOS stress that the only way to truly avoid exposure is to steer clear of queer-themed events, group chats, and public activism. They urge individuals to use anonymous profiles, avoid sharing personal data, and use encrypted messaging tools. Osip Drozdovsky, head of SK SOS’s legal department, cautions: “Being added to one of these databases could lead to leaks, blackmail, or worse. If you don’t want to end up in a registry, avoid any public visibility.”