Russia considers officially branding LGBT+ groups and furries as ‘extremists’

LGBT+ groups in Russia should be designated as “extremist” organisations, an influential government figure has said.

According to Moscow Times, the Russian state-run news agency TASS reported that Andrei Tsyganov, chairman of a commission for the protection of children at the Roskomnadzor communications regulator, made the comments on Wednesday (29 September).

He said that LGBT+, radical feminist, and child-free groups should all be recognised as having “extremist ideologies”. Bizarrely, he also added furries to the list.

Tsyganov was quoted by TASS as saying: “LGBT+ ideology, radical feminism, all these furries, child-free – they, of course, should be recognised at least as extremism, extremist ideology.”

He added branding the groups as “extremists” would “expand the rights of law enforcement”, and “untie the hands of our law enforcement officers” and the communications regulator.

Tsyganov insisted that the purpose of an “extremist” designation for the groups was to protect children and teenagers in Russia from harmful content on social media.