Research limitations
This study has several limitations that must be considered when interpreting its findings.
First, data inaccuracies may arise due to the time lag between the commission of a crime and the issuance of a court decision, potentially affecting the accuracy and timeliness of the information presented.
Second, the sample is limited because not all court decisions are published, and in general access to data has been decreasing. It is important to note that only published decisions and incidents that reached the courts were analysed, further narrowing the sample. According to the Russian LGBT Network, reporting rates for such crimes range from 2% to 7% depending on the region. This means that the incidents examined in this study represent only a small fraction of the total crimes committed. If the reporting rate is indeed this low, the actual number of crimes could be 14–50 times higher than recorded in the study.
Nevertheless, despite these limitations, the data provide several significant insights. First, violence against LGBTQIA+ individuals in Russia is systematic rather than isolated. Second, the “gay propaganda” law may significantly influence the increase in crimes, as their numbers rose after 2013 and have remained relatively stable over the following decade.
Ethical considerations
To compile the database of court decisions on hate crimes against LGBTQIA+ individuals in Russia, we used publicly available materials from online databases of court documents such as GAS Pravosudiye, Garant, and Consultant Plus. These documents often contain personal data about participants in the judicial process. Before publication, all data underwent thorough verification and anonymisation to minimise the risk of disclosing participants’ personal information. However, despite all efforts, there is a possibility of errors in the anonymisation process. We strive for maximum accuracy and encourage reporting any discovered breaches of confidentiality.
The Grey Rainbow project is a collaboration between researchers and Dataout, a foundation that helps journalists, researchers, and human rights advocates report on discrimination and improve the legal and societal environment for LGBTQIA+ people and everyone who faces injustices based on sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristics or SOGIESC.
greyrainbow@dataout.org
In the design of this website, we use illustrations taken from the watercolour series “Veshchdoc” (“Physical evidence”) by the artist Polina Zaslavskaya, who has kindly granted us permission for their use. The artist retains all rights to the images.