A Moscow-based sex party organizer has said that it has resumed events and pledged to donate money to soldiers who fought in Ukraine after previously shutting down due to Russia's ban on the so-called “international LGBT movement.”
“In this difficult time for our country, we will work with a limited entertainment program, and we will donate our savings and portion of our earnings to a foundation to help rehabilitate special military operation participants,” Hunters Party said in a Telegram post published by the independent Novaya Gazeta Europe news website.
The post was later edited by the organizers to remove the information regarding the soldiers' rehabilitation fund.
When purchasing tickets, visitors must also confirm that they will not "promote non-traditional sexual relations and/or preferences" and that they are not members of the LGBTQ+ community, which is "recognized as extremist and banned in Russia,” Novaya Gazeta Europe reported.
The ticket purchase page was not accessible at the time of publication.
“We have moved away from the sexual and erotic nature of the party,” the organizers said, adding that “private rooms will be publicly accessible, where you can relax and have a good time.”
Russia’s Supreme Court designated the non-existent “international LGBT movement” as “extremist” in November 2023, leading to police raids on gay clubs, including the Hunters Party, and sparking fears that the ban could enable sweeping persecution of LGBTQ+ people.
In December 2023, attendees of a celebrity-hosted “nearly naked” party in central Moscow were forced to apologize on-camera after the event was met with fierce criticism from pro-war figures.
The intense backlash against celebrities who attended the “nearly naked” party was escalated at the command of President Vladimir Putin’s administration, sources in the government, the State Duma and the presidential administration told The Moscow Times.
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