Trans Russians: "How Long Can We Last?"

In 2023, Russia banned gender-affirming healthcare and gender affirmation in documents.  Independent media outlet Mediazona spoke to activists to learn how trans people, declared a state enemy, are surviving and accessing surgeries and hormone therapies in Russia.

"Transgender people have become hostages of a systemic problem, from which it is very tough to escape," said Ian Dvorkin, the head of the trans rights organization Center T. He said that thanks to the wave of transphobic laws being passed in the Duma, "Persecution has intensified in families, on the streets, in educational institutions, and at work."

Dvorkin himself was forced to leave Russia in November 2023. According to the head of Center T, trans people are facing blackmail. Many people have threatened to reveal trans people's gender status, filed police reports for extremism, or taken their children away from them. Dvorkin said that the exclusion of trans people from society has led to unemployment, drug use, and sex work. 

Yekaterina, an activist whose last name was withheld, remains in Russia. According to her, trans people live in a constant state of fear. They are called "transformers." Lies spread about how trans people want to kidnap kids to change their genders. "All this rhetoric does not help a person feel like a citizen (...) you are a second, third, fifth class citizen," said Yekaterina. She recounted the case of Stanislav Nestov, a trans man who called the police for a robbery. Instead of investigating the theft, authorities charged him with "discrediting the army" for his blue-yellow hair. 

Since the ban on hormone therapies, trans people have been forced to buy them in the black market without being able to consult an endocrinologist. Center T provides telehealth appointments with specialists abroad, but Dvorkin said the organization can't reach everyone. Activists have been looking for allied doctors in Russia, but Dvorkin highlighted that there are "fewer and fewer." The black market has become the only option, even with drugs being "cooked in the kitchen." 

Some have managed to access necessary medication and ensure their safety. Emily, a trans woman in Zabaikalsky Krai, buys some hormonal drugs online and others from a pharmacy. She told Mediazona that nobody monitored the delivery of these pharmaceuticals. Emily injects herself with hormones and buys supplies at a pharmacy. She regularly takes blood tests and has an endocrinologist who helps her.

Vasily, a trans man from Perm Krai, told Mediazona, "I found websites where you can order drugs and people who could do a mastectomy and lower back surgery, but I don't have the money for it yet." He described the process of accessing care as "scary" due to it being clandestine and through "outsiders." He added, "But in the end, the reviews are positive, so people somehow believe more and go for it." Some gender-affirming surgeries are still available for those who changed their gender marker before the ban. Others must look abroad for doctors.

Yekaterina added that many trans people are denied medical care in regional hospitals for reasons not related to their transition. Doctors are afraid of extremism charges, so they decide not to treat transgender patients entirely.

Dvorkin says that employers refuse to hire trans people who changed their gender in their documents. Employers check candidates using leaked government databases to see if a person has changed their passport. Government agencies also check this information and refuse services to trans people.

Most trans people want to emigrate. Post-Soviet countries are not an option as many deny housing and jobs to transgender people. EU countries where being trans is safe are hard to access. Chile and Argentina are easier for trans immigrants to access and have welcoming communities, but it is hard to get jobs in those countries.

Trans rights organizations like Center T are under threat under Russia's "LGBT propaganda" ban. Dvorkin said, "One of the main problems is ensuring the safety of employees, volunteers, and beneficiaries." Securing data protection from authorities is vital for the organization's existence. Another problem is funding. Since LGBT people were declared "extremists" in Russia, the organization could no longer fund itself with rubles. Therefore, they must lobby for money abroad.

According to Dvorkin, 98% of his organization's employees, who are trans, are on antidepressants due to the stress caused by political repression. Yekaterina said, "The goal of trying to survive is not very life-affirming. In survival mode you can, of course, exist. But the question is: how long will each of us last?"