A 22-year-old man in Moscow has been found guilty of spreading so-called “LGBT propaganda” after sharing a photo of the rock band Queen dressed in drag — an image taken from their iconic I Want To Break Free music video.
David Gevondyan, who posted the image to VK.com (Russia’s version of Facebook), was originally charged in March 2025. However, the public only learned what sparked the case after he appealed the conviction — and the image was revealed.
The black-and-white photo features Queen members Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon dressed in women’s clothing, parodying traditional gender roles in a satirical 1980s music video.
Court Rejects Cultural Context
During his appeal, Gevondyan argued that the photo was widely known and tied to music history, not an attempt to spread any ideology. He claimed it did not promote any form of “non-traditional” relationships.
But the court disagreed.
“Posting a photo of Queen members dressed in women’s clothing on a website cannot be interpreted in any musical context given the overall meaning of the disseminated information,” the court ruled.
It found that by sharing the image, Gevondyan was seen to have “positively evaluate[d] non-traditional sexual relationships as natural,” thereby “distorting the understanding of relations between men and women” and “undermining family values.”
The court claimed this behaviour threatened the country’s demographic and economic development.
Additional Charges and Broader Crackdown
Gevondyan was also fined for posting two additional images to VK.com: one depicting two men kissing, and another showing two men in wigs, stockings, and miniskirts.
Separately, he received a ten-day detention sentence for posting a symbol associated with the Ukrainian military — highlighting how Russian authorities are increasingly punishing digital expression.
Russia has intensified its crackdown on LGBTQIA+ people in recent years. In November 2022, the country introduced a sweeping ban on so-called “LGBT propaganda.” By the end of 2023, it went a step further by labelling the so-called “international LGBT movement” — which does not exist — as an extremist group.
This has paved the way for legal actions targeting not only activism but personal expression. In May 2025, artist and anti-war activist Alisa Gorshenina was fined and detained for allegedly spreading LGBT propaganda by using a rainbow emoji in a social media post.
