Duolingo removes LGBTQ+ content for Russian users – LGBTQ Nation
Author: John Russell
Duolingo has removed LGBTQ+ inclusive content from the Russian version of its app. According to Meduza
So-called LGBTQ+ “propaganda” is illegal in Russia. In 2022, the country passed a law essentially banning any public expression of support for LGBTQ+ people. It was an expansion of a 2013 law banning so-called “gay propaganda” in the presence of children.
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Late last year, at the request of President Vladimir Putin’s Ministry of Justice, Russia’s Supreme Court declared the “international LGBT social movement” an “extremist organization,” further stifling the expression of LGBTQ+ identity and support for the LGBTQ+ community in the country.
In their complaint, Radetel referred to LGBTQ+ people as “sodomites” and said “outraged” parents brought the “propaganda” to their attention. They described the gay content as “traumatizing.”
RKN confirmed to the state-run TASS news service that it was “checking the application for the dissemination of information promoting LGBT people.”
According to Meduza, in April, TASS reported that RKN had ordered Duolingo to remove any content that violated Russia’s “gay propaganda” laws. On Tuesday, TASS said the company had complied with the order.
On its website, the U.S.-based Duolingo, which teaches over 40 languages to more than 60 million users worldwide, states that it “believes deeply in diversity and representation” and that its lessons include “all types of characters of different ages, ethnic backgrounds, and sexual orientations.”
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Author: John Russell
