Ordinary People
LGBTQ Russia
An inspiring and beautifully produced series of photo-portraits of LGBTQ Russians living in an increasingly homophobic Russia
Do we want children from elementary school to be imposed with things that lead to degradation and extinction? Do we want them to be taught that instead of men and women, there are supposedly some other genders and to be offered sex-change surgeries?—President Vladimir Putin
In late 2022, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine dragged on, President Vladimir Putin signed new legislation cracking down on LGBTQ communities. Almost ten years earlier, Russia had enacted a federal law that prohibited the promotion of “non-traditional sexual values”—seen as Western values—to anyone under the age of eighteen. Known by many as the “gay propaganda law,” it has been used to silence any public discussion or positive messaging about LGBTQ issues in any place or format accessible to minors, including the media and online. The new legislation expands on the 2013 law to cover all ages and all media, causing many to fear for a new wave of homophobic violence.
In Ordinary People, Ksenia Kuleshova, a rising star in the world of photography, has taken a series of color portraits, accompanied by short interviews, of LGBTQ Russians who, despite the relentless homophobia from politicians, religious leaders, and the media, remain open about their sexuality and seek happiness and joy in their everyday lives. Kuleshova also looks beyond Russia’s borders to people in former Soviet states, many of which have taken their lead from Russia’s homophobic policies. Powerful and intimate, Ordinary People is a moving and ultimately joyful testament to the survival and resilience of the LGBTQ community in one of the most oppressive countries in the world.
Ordinary People was designed by Emerson, Wajdowicz Studios (EWS).
Ksenia Kuleshova is a documentary photographer based in Germany and Belgium. She has been featured in the British Journal of Photography as one of thirty-one women to watch, as one of twenty rising women photojournalists by Artsy, and as one of The 30: New and Emerging Photographers to Watch. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, National Geographic, Wall Street Journal, DIE ZEIT, and FOCUS and she is the author of Ordinary People (The New Press).
