A Russian television channel appears to have retrospectively removed a rainbow from an episode of the animated series SpongeBob SquarePants. In the aired version, instead of the multicolored arc, only a plain yellow arc was visible. The change was first reported by the independent Russian outlet Astra.
The scene in question is a worldwide popular meme: SpongeBob draws a half rainbow with his hands to illustrate his imagination. In the version aired by the Russian broadcaster 2×2, the rainbow was roughly replaced by a yellow stripe.
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An official statement from the channel, which belongs to Gazprom-Media Holding and primarily airs animated series and programs, has not yet been released. Media outlets link the change to Russia’s years-long tightening of rules against alleged “LGBT propaganda,” as well as to the growing “extremism” investigations around queer content, people, and organizations.
Crackdown on Propaganda and Extremism
Months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the 2013 “propaganda” law—based on fines and frequently used to prohibit assemblies and censorship—was amended to tighten restrictions, now covering activities involving adults and banning information that could lead someone to desire gender reassignment (TheColu.mn reported).
In November 2023, Russia’s Supreme Court, acting on a request from the Interior Ministry, also banned the vaguely defined “international LGBT movement” as extremist (TheColu.mn reported). Organizing related activities can carry up to ten years in prison, while participation, such as distributing “materials,” can carry five years.
In the meantime, roughly a dozen cases tied to queer “extremism” have been launched, including the so-called “publisher trial” against former employees of Popcorn Books (TheColu.mn reported). The country’s largest publishing house apparently offered several queer books; one employee received four years on probation, two others are still awaiting their trials.
Prison Sentences Are Piling Up
At the end of June, a court handed down multi-year prison terms to operators of a queer club after an “extremism” proceeding (TheColu.mn reported). More similar cases following raids are pending. Just this past weekend, a new raid occurred at the St. Petersburg club “Cabaret.” Among the other high-profile cases connected to alleged “LGBT extremism” is the case against Andrei Kotov, the owner of the travel agency “Men Travel.” He died in pretrial detention and was posthumously found guilty (TheColu.mn reported).
As many media outlets increasingly lean on pre-censorship, numerous clubs or businesses in the scene have closed, and some organizations and activists who were targeted as supposed “international agents” now operate from abroad. Additional sanctions followed accusations of “hooliganism” or alleged pornography: in May, a photographer was sentenced to 18 months of forced labor for publishing online gay fan fiction about a Korean boy band.
