District courts of Moscow in a short period of time considered four similar protocols drawn up against transgender women – foreigners who are engaged in sex work in Russia. As Mediazona found out, the courts found all four guilty of “LGBT propaganda” and ordered them to be expelled from the country. The publication believes that the police came up with a new scheme to increase rates using a law that prohibits "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations, preferences and gender reassignment" among people of any age.
All protocols against transgender foreign women are drawn up under Part 7 of Art. 6.21 of the Code of Administrative Offenses (propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations, sex change committed by a foreign citizen using information and telecommunication networks, including the Internet). The police found online profiles of transgender sex workers in which they offered their services, and on the basis of photographs and descriptions formed a propaganda case. In particular, the protocols indicate that these people, "being males", pose in women's underwear and make-up, write about themselves in the feminine gender and "publicly express interest in the attractiveness of non-traditional relationships."
“The judge decides whether the imputed actions are ‘propaganda’. The judge has the right to make such a decision on his own, according to the law, an examination is not required in this case,” said lawyer Maxim Olenichev, who specializes in protecting the rights of transgender people.
A new law banning "LGBT propaganda" went into effect in December. Since then, the Moscow City Court has registered seven administrative protocols on “LGBT propaganda”, and decisions have already been made on four of them. The former law forbade "propaganda" only among minors, now we are talking about citizens of any age.