this post was submitted on 09 Feb 2026
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A Russian magazine editor claims his publisher demanded he censor a book that mentions homosexuality in animals because it violates the country’s “LGBT propaganda” law.

Viktor Kovylin, editor of the scientific journal Batrachospermum, wrote on Telegram that his publisher told him the descriptions of same-sex behavior in a book on animal sexual behavior were against the law because they did not express “disgust or criticism” for the acts.

“Apparently, neutral scientific descriptions of homosexual behavior, without disgust or criticism, now fall under the category of propaganda for non-traditional relationships!” Kovylin wrote on Telegram, according to a translation.

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[–] antonim@lemmy.dbzer0.com 28 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

his publisher told him the descriptions of same-sex behavior in a book on animal sexual behavior were against the law

So it wasn't legally or expressedly banned by the govt. But in authoritarian fear-based and legally unpredictable states it's not unusual for people to individually take rules even further than technically necessary, to affirm their adherence to the system and to be safe from even the smallest suspicion or most ridiculous accusation.

Might be worth noting that the publisher (Eksmo-AST) is one of the biggest book publishers in Russia.