Russia’s Ministry of Justice announced that it has petitioned its country’s Supreme Court to declare the international public LGBTQ+ movement an extremist element and ban its activities within the country. The ministry further accused the movement of exhibiting various signs and manifestations of extremism, including incitement to social and religious hatred. The statement did not identify any specific LGBTQ+ groups, nor did it clarify what actions would result if the court granted the petition. Russia has become increasingly hostile to the LGBTQ+ community under the reign of President Vladimir Putin. In July he directed sexologists to help gay people overcome what he called the mental disorder of same-sex sexual attraction. A month earlier he ordered the Ministry of Health to create an institute to study queer people at the Serbsky Center for Psychiatry and Narcology. In June Russia also passed a bill that banned gender-affirming surgery and treatment and outlawed changing official documents to align with a person’s true gender. Last December, Putin signed a law strengthening a ban on LGBTQ+ in Russia and making it illegal to promote same-sex sexual relations or suggest non-heterosexual attractions are normal. Individuals can be fined up to around $6,370 for what he calls LGBTQ+ propaganda. #Queer Up The World View