We came together
to say “NO!”
to discrimination
against LGBTQ+ people

The Alliance of Heterosexuals and LGBT for Equality was founded in St Petersburg in May 2012. The movement is built around the idea of bringing people together in support of equality. It is a mistake to assume that only LGBT people have a stake in rights and freedoms: many heterosexual and cisgender people openly support equal rights for everyone, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Over nearly a decade and a half, the Alliance organised more than one hundred human rights actions and dozens of educational events. By the time its main VKontakte community was blocked in 2021, the Alliance’s combined social media audience was around 40,000 people. Initiative groups of the Alliance also operated in several Russian cities.

Among the Alliance’s best-known projects was the Rainbow Column at the May Day demonstration in St Petersburg. In 2013 it was organised by the Alliance, while in subsequent years the movement took part in its organising committee. In 2016, British actor and LGBT activist Sir Ian McKellen, best known for playing Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings, joined the Alliance.

The Alliance’s work was not limited to LGBT issues. The movement participated in broader civic and human rights coalitions, anti-war actions and solidarity campaigns, supported other vulnerable groups, and was one of the co-founders of the Democratic Petersburg coalition.

The Alliance also became known for its creative actions and campaigns, including “Milonov’s Aria”, “LGBT Special Forces”, “RosGayTour”, “Offended Russia”, the “Golden Enema” anti-award, the “Today I Am a Truck Driver” campaign and others.. We organised multi-day Equality Week festivals and the ABC of Activism programme, whose seminars were held in 17 cities across Russia — from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok — as well as support programmes and community events.

The Alliance also worked to advance LGBT inclusion in political party documents. It succeeded in securing such provisions in the programme and charter of the Civic Initiative party and contributed to the inclusion of similar provisions in documents of the St Petersburg branch of Yabloko.

On 23 June 2026, the St Petersburg City Court designated the Alliance an extremist organisation. Following the ruling, the Alliance does not operate within the territory of the Russian Federation.

This website is maintained as an information and archival resource. It brings together materials on the history of the movement, its actions, campaigns and projects, as well as information about developments related to the struggle for equality and the situation of LGBT people in Russia.