The prevalence of Telegram as a hub for the far-right in some parts of the world and a home for both pro- and anti-LGBTQ+ content in Russia raises broader questions of moderation and regulation on social media platforms. Any platform that doesn’t try to crack down on any content, Walter notes, will become “a place where people who can’t express themselves freely on mainstream platforms will go, because they feel safer posting there.”
As the Ukraine war continues, Russia has embarked on a campaign to eradicate what it sees as the influence of the West. including acceptance of queer people. Walter notes that some anti-LGBTQ+ Telegram propaganda campaigns in the region go so far as to claim that Ukraine is training its soldiers to be gay. Nine months after the conflict, the country’s parliament passed a law criminalize attempts to promote “non-traditional sexual relations” in everything from movies to advertisements and online publications.
“The restrictions, which make life precarious for LGBT+ people in Russia, have a much more ambitious purpose: to consolidate conservative support at home and position Russia as a defender of ‘traditional values,’” Graeme Reid, director of Human Rights Watch’s LGBTQ+ rights program, wrote last year. This precariousness has only increased in the year since then.
Before Sozaev fled In Russia, its main organizing tool and social media hub had been Facebook. A Russian court banned Facebook, along with Instagram, in 2022, labeling the Meta platforms as “extremist.” The ruling saved WhatsApp, but for organizers like Sozaev, Telegram has become their meeting place.
Still, LGBTQ+ people remain cautious. Some of its public Telegram channels have been attacked, indicating that the government is watching. Anyone who uses their real name on the app risks being investigated. Sozaev explains that people often encourage each other to delete the Telegram app from their phones before attempting to cross the border. Their devices could be registered and the presence of the application could put them in danger and prevent them from leaving the country. Telegram groups also offer tutorials instructing LGBTQ+ people on what to do if they are questioned by Russian authorities.
“Simply going to our Telegram channel and seeing concrete steps on how people come out” and then finding a community with other LGBTQ+ Russians is the most effective, says Maxim Ibadov, national coordinator of RUSSIA LGBTQ+a non-profit organization formed in 2008 to support Russian-speaking queer people in the US.
There are around 1,000 people on the RUSA LGBTQ+ Telegram channel, and while most members reside in the United States, people in Russia often approach the organization looking for ways to leave the country. Often people active in the chat connect people looking to escape with organizations like Rainbow Railway. Others share strategies for where they crossed the border.
Ibadov notes that Telegram is one of the main ways his organization connects with people trying to leave Russia and community members who have recently arrived in the US and need support rebuilding their lives. “They don’t know where to go and at first they may not have the desire or comfort to go to our events in person,” explains Ibadov, noting that being able to follow the RUSA LGBTQ+ Telegram is a way to build trust. and trust in the organization and its members.
Telegram also helps RUSA LGBTQ+ community leaders know what kind of support their members need. The organization recently started a Telegram chat for parents who identify as queer after a lesbian couple who came to the US from Russia sought opportunities for their children to connect with other children.
The interactive nature of Telegram also lends itself to community members providing mutual aid. Ibadov says that often someone comes to his Telegram channel to ask how to access medical care or legal support, and before RUSA LGBTQ+ staff or volunteers can respond, numerous members of the community will have already intervened.
Ibadov notes that for many LGBTQ+ people in Russia, Telegram is one of the few places where they can see people living openly. As a result, they see their organization’s presence on the platform as vital not only to provide resources but also to give hope. “LGBTQ+ people in Russia cannot fight (publicly); We have to fight for them here,” they say, “so there is hope for them there.”