In the late 2010s, despite the tightening grip of authoritarianism, Russia experienced a brief but remarkable flourishing of queer culture — reminiscent of the hedonistic years of the Weimar Republic. The infamous law banning “gay propaganda” paradoxically brought LGBTQ+ issues into mainstream public debate. Along with established media outlets, hundreds of YouTube creators, drag performers, filmmakers and self-published collectives built an unprecedented queer cultural landscape. Probably for the first time in modern Russian history the LGBTQ+ voices resonated across different platforms and Russia's vast geography.
This fragile moment ended abruptly after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The state launched a vengeful campaign to erase LGBTQ+ visibility and outlaw gay people as part of a broader effort to conquer dissent. This campaign reached its pinnacle in late 2023, when the (legally non-existent) LGBTQ+ movement was designated ‘extremist’. The Russian authority set out to dismantle not only a community, but also its cultural memory, forcing an entire generation of queer creators into silence, exile, or silent guerilla. This book intends to prevent this erasure.
Written by an author who witnessed many events described in the book in person, “Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano” presents a comprehensive account of how such a surge in gay visibility was possible in the first place, and how a persecuted and scattered community was able to unify and build a cultural ecosystem for itself. Underground drag shows and mainstream broadcasts, digital gay samizdat and mass audience blockbusters, queer festivals and trans activism: the book puts the reader right in the middle of the action, showing the community that proudly professes its identity and practices resilience. This is not a requiem, but a paean to the era that was — and the people that still are.
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R. L. is a journalist and filmmaker who spent years producing works focusing on memory studies, queer history, and the intersections of ideology, identity, and authoritarianism. As a reporter, they have been covering LGBTQ-issues in Russia for the past 10 years. Because StraightForward was designated “an undesirable organization” by the Russian state, for security reasons, we don’t share other biographical details. StraightForward has performed all the necessary checks and made sure that the author has the competences and qualifications that allow them to write the book. By publisher’s request, we are ready to provide a full bio.