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Legitimising Political Homophobia: Sexual Minorities and Russian Television News

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Representing Communities

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Abstract

Since the 2013 Russian legislation banning the “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations”, the LGBTQ community’s right to equality in Russia has been largely undermined. This chapter examines how Russian television news media perpetuate homophobic attitudes to legitimise the Kremlin’s policies of moral regulation. By representing non-heterosexuality as the antithesis of Russian sovereign values and traditions, LGBTQ is essentially established as a threat to the future existence of the nation. The analysis suggests that this narrative acts as the discursive mobilisation of the political homophobic project, whereby Russian television news media justify the necessity of the anti-gay laws by capitalising on patriotic sentiments and a wide range of public fears.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. King’s College London, London, UK

    Anna Khlusova

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  1. Anna Khlusova
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Correspondence to Anna Khlusova .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Media, Art and Design, Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, United Kingdom

    Ruth Sanz Sabido

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Khlusova, A. (2017). Legitimising Political Homophobia: Sexual Minorities and Russian Television News. In: Sanz Sabido, R. (eds) Representing Communities. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65030-2_6

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