Sexual Minorities in Modern Russia

Abstract

This article outlines the history of sexual minorities in modern Russia, beginning with a discussion of the methodological challenges posed by the interpretation of Western sources, on the one hand, and of Russia's discursive silence, on the other. The history of Russia's sexual minorities is divided into three historical periods: prerevolutionary Russia, Soviet Russia, and post-Soviet Russia. Special attention is paid to the differences between literary and other representations of homosexuality and the descriptions of gay and lesbian life provided in the diaries of Russian gays and lesbians, revealing a deep-seated ambivalence regarding the phenomenon of homosexuality in Russia.