How vulnerable groups live in Belarus in the era of mass repressions

The Belarusian Initiative and social campaign “It’s OK” recently conducted research to find out how the LGBTQ+ community is treated in Belarus and what stigmas are present in society. The overall aim was to identify and understand why these stigmas exist in Belarusian society and how to better influence them.

 Pressure from the government

At the national level in Belarus, LGBTQ+ persons are deprived of a large number of rights: the right to protection and security, the right to family, the right to health, etc. The report of the International Committee for the Investigation of Torture in Belarus, co-authored with the Legal Initiative, shows that in recent years the Belarusian state has been pursuing a homophobic policy. LGBTQ+ people encounter discrimination, as “hate speech is often used against [them], and violence by security forces is encouraged by the state.” 

Within Belarusian prisons, LGBTQ+ inmates are subjected to heightened levels of violence, harassment and ill-treatment. They face a double burden of repression, as not only are they targeted for their political beliefs or actions but also because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The state’s homophobic policies and attitudes contribute to creating an atmosphere of hostility, in which prison officials and security forces are emboldened to perpetrate violence against LGBTQ+ prisoners.

As a consequence of these repressive policies, thousands of individuals, including LGBTQ+ people, are unjustly detained and suffer under inhumane conditions within the Belarusian prison system. The presence of sexual orientation or gender identity as an additional factor for abuse further exacerbates their plight, leaving them more vulnerable to torture and mistreatment.

Since June 2023, the Belarusian authorities have also been considering passing a bill on the “prohibition of LGBTQ+ propaganda”, similar to current Russian legislation. This bill would establish administrative liability for “the promotion of non-traditional sexual relationships, gender transition, paedophilia and childfree”.  

It is important to note that in addition to state-sanctioned stigmatisation of the LGBTQ+ community, there is also a prevalent indifference among the general population. This societal apathy further exacerbates the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ individuals in Belarus, as they encounter not only institutional discrimination but also a lack of empathy and understanding from their fellow citizens. In our research, 62 per cent of respondents believe that LGBTQ+ people are under pressure from the state. Responses to this question often included comments such as:

“It is difficult to imagine any social group that is not currently subjected to governmental pressure in Belarus.”

“Protection of rights in the Republic of Belarus is in principle quite a problem, I think, if a person is deprived of some rights, then it will not necessarily be because of membership in the LGBT community. The government may still be using this to discredit specific undesirable citizens in the eyes of society.”

“I have not encountered state violence towards LGBTQ+ groups and I have not heard about such situations, violence against all citizens is used in Belarus in general, but for political reasons.”

It appears that there is no stigmatisation of LGBTQ+ people because they belong to the entire population of the country. However, these statements do not fully correspond to reality. Alyaksandr Lukashenka and his regime suppress any dissent, and in this sense, representatives of the LGBTQ+ community are truly under pressure “just like everyone else”. However, within this repressed society, they are also a vulnerable group, which virtually reduces their rights to almost nothing. The International Committee for the Investigation of Torture in Belarus has released a report titled “Torture of LGBTQ+ People and the Regime’s Homophobic Policy”. In it, the reader can find testimonies in which victims recount facing additional violence due to the colour and length of their hair and nails, humiliation and the use of physical force based on clothing, torture provoked by the disclosure of their identity, and threats and sexual violence stemming from homophobia, biphobia and transphobia. Outing, the forced disclosure of identity, is also used as a threat. Silencing the problem in society leads to the fact that people who have faced increased repression due to their identity have nowhere to seek protection and support. As a result, they experience pressure from both the government and society.

 Pressure from society

Official government policy has an impact on the society. The LGBTQ+ community faces stigmatisation in everyday life due to the state’s approach. In our research, 59.9 per cent of respondents believe that LGBTQ+ people are under social pressure in Belarus. This is true especially among the more informed people within cisgender and heterosexual Belarusian society, who privately know LGBTQ+ people and are aware of the pressures they are under from the state and society. A number of common stigmas which public organisations, activists and human rights defenders should deal with have been identified and presented below.

Prohibition on speech

The most popular stigma regarding LGBTQ+ people among respondents is that there exists a phenomenon called “LGBTQ+ propaganda”. This is namely the idea that “sexual orientation can be promoted or imposed.” A typical phrase often heard is “I am against the promotion and recognition of the LGBTQ+ norm.” This shows that the “recognition of norms” and “propaganda” are viewed as the same thing.

Another example of stigma can be found in the phrase “These people can do what they think is necessary, but do not promote the idea that it is normal and good.” The term “LGBT propaganda” indicates that the person is deeply involved in the political and cultural life of Russia, as the term was directly imported into Belarus from that country. Yet, it has little connection to reality. It plays on the fear that a person, after seeing something once or a few times, will somehow radically change their understanding of their sexual preferences and gender identity. According to Tony Lashden, a queer-fem activist, “The fact that we know some people exist does not radically change anything within us. If we study how people come to understand their identity, we will see that it is a gradual process. Questions of sexual identity are not that simple. For individuals to truly understand themselves, they need a lot of time in a safe and supportive environment. They also need information about what it means. Only then can they have the opportunity to gain self-awareness and tell their own stories.”

Prohibition on public conversation and requests for help

“Any parade, whether it’s an LGBTQ+ parade or a heterosexual one, is always an attempt to impose one’s opinion on others.” Here again we return to the idea of imposing an opinion. In this case, the reference for context is pride parades. Our research in Belarus found that statements like the one above make up around 15 per cent of respondents. Other similar comments about pride parades and marches include: “I don’t think the march is an acceptable method of expressing a position. Regardless of gender”; “Sexual orientation is a personal matter, I don’t think it’s necessary to march in support of LGBTQ+ people”; and “Heterosexuals don’t organise parades for themselves. In terms of pride parades – definitely not. If there is a rally or a parade in defence of the rights of heterosexuals, then we will talk.”

Freedom of assembly and peaceful gatherings are a fundamental right of any individual or group. This right is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Constitution of Belarus. The public space belongs to the LGBTQ+ community just as much as it does to anyone else. Yet, the LGBTQ+ community is clearly limited in its rights compared to heterosexual individuals, who can marry and have children. Confronted with these rights, the community faces significant obstacles in many countries and often resorts to protests like marches to voice their opinions and be heard by others.

Maryna Shtrahava, co-founder of the Belarusian inclusive organisation “The Others”, comments on this phenomenon: “Marches are absolutely not about shouting to the whole world about who I sleep with. They are about shouting, ‘Regardless of who I sleep with, I want equal rights with everyone else, and I refuse to be discriminated against.'”

One clear issue for respondents in the research is the life of children in LGBTQ+ families, namely the belief that this affects the sexual orientation and psyche of children. This popular stigma stems from a lack of knowledge and scientific information about how sexual orientation is formed, as well as its lack of dependence on the gender and sexual orientation of parents. Statements from our Belarusian respondents include: “The children of gay couples rarely grow up with “natural” orientation”; “Children cannot make their own choice: to agree or not to be raised in this family, which, for example, consists of two men”; or “For a man to grow up adequately and psychologically healthy, a mother and father are essential to educate him.”

These opinions are stigmatised because they do not correspond to the actual scientific facts. Research conducted in this area shows that parents’ sexual orientation is not a determining factor for a child’s sexual orientation. Indeed, the main factor influencing a child’s development is the care, love and support they receive from their parents. The most important thing for a child is to have caring and reliable parents, regardless of their sexual orientation.

 Prohibition on expressing emotions

A large number of responses in our research were related to the right to express feelings
in the public space. This question turned out to be very triggering and most of the responses were related to the fact that both homosexual and heterosexual couples should not do this: “Public expression of relationships is not normal for any group of people”; “Excessive expression of intimate moments in relationships in public is completely unpleasant”; “This does not even apply to the LGBTQ+ community at all”; “Let anything happen behind the closed doors of the bedroom”; and “I think it is unethical to publicly express my feelings, and not just for LGBT+ people.”

On the one hand, the above responses provide a stigmatisation which is not directly referring to the LGBTQ+ community, but rather to the public expression of feelings in general. On the other hand, however, the expression of emotions is a normal and natural part of the human experience. Denial or stigmatisation of the public expression of emotions in the context of LGBTQ+ people can be considered as a form of stigmatisation. Imposing emotional restrictions on public expressions of love or affection according to sexual orientation or gender identity is unequal and discriminatory. Denying LGBTQ+ people the opportunity to express emotions and love on an equal basis creates an atmosphere of stigmatisation and rejection.

Olga Shparaga, professor of philosophy and author, notes that “people who have grown up in Belarus do not realise to what extent the state dictates their physical appearance in public spaces. Authoritarian and totalitarian regimes do not allow us to be spontaneous and regulate us with various practices that turn us into obedient bodies. If we want to live a full and meaningful life, we need to fight for our spontaneity and public self-expression, including friendly, affectionate and sexual expression – all of which are part of this spontaneity, without which there can be no freedom or solidarity.”

“It’s OK” is a Belarusian initiative against the stigmatisation of the LGBTQ+ community in Belarusian society. This material is prepared as part of the campaign against the stigmatisation of LGBTQ+ people with the hashtags #ItsOK #ГэтаОкей. Read the full report online available at: bit.ly/3s4ZF60 

Volha Kavalskaya is a Belarusian activist, cultural manager, co-founder of the initiative “It’s OK”. She is currently based in Tbilisi, Georgia.

belarus, LGBTQI rights, stigmatization