November 27, 2024

Trans Russians: "How Long Can We Last?"


Trans Russians: "How Long Can We Last?"
Transgender rights flag. The Russian Life files.

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?"

You Might Also Like

Russia's Anti LGBT+ War
  • August 15, 2023

Russia's Anti LGBT+ War

Taking stock, ten years on from Russia's passage of its first post-Soviet anti-gay law.
  • February 06, 2024

"I'm Alive" a Harrowing Escape

A gay Chechen man forced to out himself on camera vanished after the video went viral in 2022. Now, he tells his story.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

Little Golden Calf
February 01, 2010

Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

Fearful Majesty
July 01, 2014

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
November 01, 2012

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

Fish
February 01, 2010

Fish

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955