In an unexpected—and surreal—twist, late gay adult film actor Billy Herrington has reportedly been featured in a memorial commemorating fallen Soviet soldiers from World War II.
Herrington, who died in a car accident in 2018, appears to have been digitally inserted into a mural marking the Battle of Kursk—a decisive 1943 clash on the Eastern Front and the largest tank battle in history. The mural, located in Zheleznogorsk, a city in Russia’s contested Kursk region, is intended to honour the 700,000 Soviet soldiers who died during the battle.
But according to viral posts on X, the mosaic features not one, but seven photos of Herrington, photoshopped into historical Russian military uniforms. One widely circulated image includes a smiling Herrington, clearly recognisable to those familiar with his cult status in internet meme culture and gay adult entertainment.
As in all things Russia, the memorial wall installed to honor Russians that were turned into hamburger in Ukraine was found to contain not only fake photos, but SEVEN(!!) photos of American gay porn actor William Herrington, photoshopped into a Russian military uniform. pic.twitter.com/cRgNYXviZM
— Jay in Kyiv (@JayinKyiv) May 12, 2025
“As in all things Russia, the memorial wall installed to honour Russians [who] were turned into hamburger, was found to contain not only fake photos, but seven photos of American gay-porn actor William Herrington,” one X user wrote, alongside screenshots of the mural and edited photos.
The inclusion was reportedly the result of a bizarre prank. Russian police discovered that the photos were submitted to the mural’s creator, artist Anton Polsky, by a 16-year-old claiming to be a “war hero.” Polsky has denied any intentional wrongdoing and said he had no idea the photos were fraudulent or provocative.
Ironic Twist in an Anti-LGBTQ+ Landscape
The mural’s location in Russia, where LGBTQ+ people face growing repression, makes the story even more ironic. The country has enacted increasingly harsh anti-LGBTQ+ laws in recent years, including the notorious “gay propaganda” law, which has led to club raids, arrests, and the jailing of venue owners.
Even international platforms haven’t escaped scrutiny. Language app Duolingo was pressured into removing LGBTQ+ content, while the children’s cartoon My Little Pony was bizarrely rated 18+. A student was also expelled from university for posting makeup tutorials, and in February 2025, reports emerged of a Russian government database being created to track so-called “extremist” LGBTQ+ individuals.
That makes Herrington’s accidental inclusion all the more surreal—a symbol of queer culture briefly and unintentionally enshrined in a tribute to Soviet military history.
Billy Herrington’s Enduring Internet Legacy
Known professionally as Billy Herrington, and also under the names Billy Marcus and Jake Stevens, the American actor rose to prominence in the late ’90s and early 2000s. He entered the adult industry after winning Playgirl’s “Real Men of the Month” contest and later transitioned into a bodybuilding career.
After his death, Herrington became something of a cult icon—particularly within meme culture and online communities in East Asia. In 2022, a satirical petition in Odessa, Ukraine called for replacing a statue of Catherine the Great with one of Herrington. It gained more than 25,000 signatures, with supporters claiming it would represent “a loud statement that Odessa is not some provincial town of the Russian empire… but has its own culture and sense of humour.”
While the Kursk mural may not have intended to make such a statement, its accidental inclusion of Herrington has sparked global headlines—and a fair share of baffled amusement.
