Existence as activism: life-story-driven narratives in LGBTQ+ Russophone grassroots media

In November 2023 Russia recognised the “LGBT movement” as an extremist organisation. With the preceding 2022 'gay-propaganda' law this constitutes the most drastic rollbacks of gay and trans rights in contemporary history. In this context, grassroots media are playing a significant role in the Russian LGBTQ+ community as one of the key sites of affirmation and expression of solidarity. This paper approaches LGBTQ+ life-story-driven narratives created in Russophone grassroots media in 2020-2023, including coverage of the most recent reactions to the extremist label in what is now a critical legal situation for Russia’s LGBTQ+ community. Narratives based on real lives are known for their capacity to reclaim public space (McAdams, 2008) and have for some time played an active role in Russian LGBTQ+ grassroots culture (Andreevskikh, 2023). Considering the decentralisation of digital outlets, the paper will address Russophone media instead of just Russian-based ones. Using Judith Butler’s performative theory of assembly as a theoretical lens the paper focuses on the idea of (digital)presence and visibility as a form of resistance. Following biographical and (semi)autobiographical LGBTQ+ narratives in visual and verbal forms across such platforms as Telegram, Instagram and YouTube, it outlines the main tendencies in a broader strategy to reclaim censored and now legally prohibited forms of self-expression. The paper adopts a two-staged methodology the paper based on a combination of digital ethnography (Varis 2015) and critical discourse analysis (van Dijk 2015). Using these approaches, then paper strives to analyse the variety of visual and verbal content on the Russophone segment of LGBTQ+ social media, including such outlets as Vslukh Journal, Centre T, Just get lucky, Kit, Parni+, and Lesbian Lobby. The findings of this research point to the importance of such life-story-driven strategies as ‘manifestos’, demystification, consolidation as reclaiming public space, protection of already existing safe spaces and grotesque subversion of the official narrative. Additionally, the continuation of the duality of diversity and unity in self-narratives was identified. The paper thereby contributes to the understanding of independent LGBTQ+ media in communities operating in the context of official homophobic discourse and strict censorship.