Being transgender in Russia: The people who had to leave - BBC World Service Documentaries

In July 2023, Russia passed a new law banning transition for transgender people - they can no longer get medical help or change their documents. Then, in November 2023, the international LGBT movement was legally defined as an "extremist organisation" by Russia's Supreme Court.

Click here to subscribe to our channel 👉🏽 https://bbc.in/3VyyriM

BBC News Russian interviewed two transgender people from Russia, for whom leaving the country was a matter of safety.

Ada, a young trans woman, says a close relative tricked her into so-called conversion therapy in a remote village in Siberia. She claims she spent nine months there and was forced to do manual labour and participate in activities, such as castrating pigs, intended to humiliate her. By the time she escaped, Russia had changed - the invasion of Ukraine had begun, and a new anti-LGBT law was about to be passed. She stayed in Russia for as long as she could helping other transgender people, but, eventually, she felt she had to leave because of the "extremist" law.

Francis, a middle-aged trans man, left Russia because, he says, the state threatened to take away his children. In 2017 he underwent a mastectomy, which attracted the attention of the child protection services. As a result, two of Francis's adopted children were taken away from the family. He says he began to receive threats that the authorities would terminate his parental rights to his other three biological children.

00:00 Introduction
00:55 Russian anti-LGBT laws
02:08 Francis’ transition story
03:22 Francis had to leave Russia under the pressure of authorities
04:22 Ada’s story of conversion therapy
06:06 Russia declares international LGBT movement an "extremist organisation"
06:38 Francis and Ada talk about Russia
07:58 First arrests in Russia

To watch more documentaries from our award-winning teams check out this playlist, perfect for the biggest screen in your home 👉🏽    • All BBC World Service Documentaries  
----------------
This is the official BBC World Service YouTube channel.
If you like what we do, you can also find us here:
Instagram 👉🏽   / bbcworldservice  
Twitter 👉🏽   / bbcworldservice  
Facebook 👉🏽   / bbcworldservice  
BBC World Service website 👉🏽 https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldserviceradio

Thanks for watching and subscribing!
#BBCWorldService #WorldService #Russia #LGBT