Russian femboy politician gets 10-day sentence for wearing ‘extremist’ rainbow shirt
Daniil Neonov (Image: SOTAvision)
Moscow municipal deputy candidate Daniil Neonov has been sentenced to 10 days’ administrative arrest after a court ruled a rainbow “LOVE” T-shirt shown in a Telegram video amounted to displaying an “extremist” symbol, amid the crackdown on the LGBTQ+ community in Russia.
Neonov, who identifies as a femboy according to Russian LGBTQ+ publication Parni+, is running for municipal deputy in Moscow.
He reportedly posted the clip on 16 July to a Telegram channel he owns titled “Daniil Neonov – Candidate for Deputy”. The video reportedly showed him wearing a headband with ears, a cat mask, and a black T-shirt with “LOVE” written in seven rainbow colours.
Neonov was arrested on a Tuesday afternoon and held overnight by police. SOTAvision reported that he was held for seven hours with no access to a lawyer. Meanwhile, Neonov claimed he was choked and beaten at a police station before an officer forbade him from speaking to journalists.
At trial, SOTAvision said Neonov denied the charges and argued that the rainbow on his shirt had seven colours, while the LGBTQ+ Pride flag has six.
Court ruling and sentence
The Tushinsky District Court of Moscow ruled Neonov violated Part 1 of Article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation by displaying a symbol associated with extremism. He was given a sentence of 10 days of administrative arrest, reported to be the maximum possible sentence.
Neonov is also reportedly banned from running for public office.
Russia labelled everything LGBTQ+, including Parni+, as “extremist” in 2023, a move that has widened the scope for authorities to treat queer-coded symbols and expression as unlawful.
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