World best-sellers removed from Russian bookstores over alleged LGBT propaganda

The Russian online store Megamarket has removed from sale over 250 books running afoul of the law prohibiting "LGBT propaganda."

Source: BBC News Russia, citing Kommersant media

The list includes works by world-renowned authors such as Stephen King, Haruki Murakami, Marcel Proust, Oscar Wilde, Stefan Zweig, and others. In addition, the banned list includes the novel Netochka Nezvanova by Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky.

A complete list could not be found from open sources.

The Picture of Dorian Gray, Ukrainian edition.

PHOTO: YAKABOO

In the comments, Megamarket's press office explained to Russian publications that the list of books was compiled in December 2022 at the Association of Internet Commerce Companies’ (AKIT) initiative. Marketplace representatives also participated in selecting "banned literature" in Russian bookshops and shops.

However, immediately after removing the works from the online store, the president of the association, Artem Sokolov, deemed the list "outdated." He said that the list was compiled before the introduction of the ban on "LGBT propaganda" during the discussion stage of the bill in the State Duma.

The Stand by Stephen King, Ukrainian edition.

KSD

"The industry wanted to visually demonstrate what could fall under the law if clear criteria had not been developed. Right now, this list is outdated – it has no relevance to reality," Sokolov told Kremlin-aligned media RIA Novosti.

Later, in a comment to the Russian news agency RBC, the head of the Duma Committee on Information Policy, Alexander Khinshtein, assured that "classic literature is not threatened." He says the list is just a working document, representing "a set of industry fears that have not been confirmed."

About discriminatory laws in Russia

In 2013, Russia passed a law prohibiting the promotion of "non-traditional sexual relationships" among minors. At the end of 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill banning "LGBT, paedophilia, and gender identity propaganda" and imposing significant fines for those who violate it.

Initially, the law included fines for disseminating information among minors related to the LGBTQI+ community. For example, this included messages that "demonstrate non-traditional sexual relationships" or "are capable of inducing a desire to change gender."

Later, the law was amended to specify that such "propaganda" should not be spread on the internet, in media, books, films, and advertising.

In November 2023, Russia's so-called Supreme Court banned the activities of the non-existent "international LGBT movement" in the country and declared it extremist. According to the Russian Ministry of Justice, various signs and manifestations of extremist activity, including the creation of social and religious hostility, were identified during the investigation.

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