"Children-404": How I created a support group for LGBT teens
COMMUNITY "CHILDREN-404" was one of the first support groups for LGBT adolescents who appeared on the Russian-language Internet. Its relevance has grown many times after a law was passed in Russia establishing responsibility for “promoting non-traditional sexual relations among minors” (this happened a few months after the group was created).
This week, “Children-404” is five years old, which included thousands of stories told by LGBT teenagers, and dozens of threats that came to the creators of the community from strangers, and the prosecution of the group by law enforcement agencies and Roskomnadzor, who banned public in 2015 . We asked Elena Klimova, the creator of "Children-404", to tell what it is like to do a humanitarian project under conditions of constant pressure.
About how appeared "Children-404"
I make my living through literary editing and proofreading: reading books, writing books. In 2013, I collaborated with the Rosbalt news agency — at the same time I made a small series of materials about LGBT adolescents. At the same time, we put together a small team: together we created groups on Facebook and VKontakte - in the second case we were open and closed. It happened on March 11, 2013, so we consider this date the birthday of "Children-404". Later, the closed group "VKontakte" was mothballed, and for the open we came up with the rules, and also opened comments - so the community began to work as a support group.
For five years, we have published more than seven thousand letters of teenagers asking for help and adults with advice and support. In five years I received many different responses ranging from "you should be impaled and hanged on the square" to "thank you, I think you saved my life." There were curses and thanks. But their number does not matter. Every person is a universe. To help one person for me already means to change the world for the better.
On the atmosphere of hatred and threats on the web
During these five years I have become accustomed to everything. I know what can happen. I know I can hear. There is no particular surprise either in the threat of persecution by the state or in the insults of anonymous. I will not say that I absolutely do not care - but it hardly hurts me.
After three years ago I made the album "Beautiful People and What They Tell Me", nothing has changed. I note that there has never been a continuous stream of haters. If the news about how we are corrupting children spilled over patriotic publics, then yes, I could find in the morning fifty messages describing exactly how I should be finished off. But it happens rarely - in ordinary days I just live. Therefore, I conclude: if people do not artificially excite people, they generally don’t care.
Artificial pressure occurs. Since 2013, and even earlier, when regional laws on the prohibition of propaganda appeared, and behind them came the federal one. People are not fools. If, for example, you can get a penalty for promoting drugs or demonstrating Nazi symbols, then drugs and Nazi symbols is bad. And if you are fined for propaganda (oh, this hypocritical wording) of "non-traditional sexual relations among minors", then homosexuality is also bad. Is it logical
No matter how the officials hide behind the fig leaf of good intentions, they say, we do not prohibit you this, just do not touch the children, the true intentions were on the surface. They are as clear as day. "THESE PEOPLE are dangerous to children, THESE PEOPLE suffer from unpredictable vice, THESE PEOPLE are officially considered to be socially inferior." Of course, this alone does not explain the whole orgy that is taking place.
On inspections of the Investigative Committee and the fight against burnout
As far as I know, the investigator who deals with my case (Klimova is charged with "disseminating information that incites hatred and enmity towards people of heterosexual orientation and representatives of state power in modern Russia", as well as "promoting non-traditional sexual relations among minors." - Ed..), not once, but twice passed a resolution on the refusal to initiate a criminal case. And twice the prosecutor canceled her decision. Now went the third round. It is impossible to predict how this will end. I'm ready for anything.
I never wanted to quit, although I sometimes felt the proximity to burning. It helps me to sleep for a long time, eat deliciously, read, get support from people for whom what I do is important, light up with new ideas. But in general, I do not have a specific recipe or algorithm, how to deal with it. I just keep going.
What happens next with "Children-404"
I communicate with the community very few people personally; it is hardly possible to say that I “maintain contact”. But many are returning. After a year, two, three or four: they talk about themselves, remember how their lives have seriously changed. They say that the experience of seeking help was useful for them.
I see that there are now a lot of diverse online support groups; I think it is not so important who was the first and who is not. It's nice to see that there are more such communities and people are joining together to help each other. I know that we work for a reason. But in general it's hard for me to say how much and how “Children-404” influenced the LGBT community and the whole Russian society as a whole - I am inside. From the side you know better, so let others judge it.
About sexuality
Sexuality in my understanding is a territory of freedom. I note that by sexuality I mean the widest range of sensations, phenomena and actions, and not just the bed. Who i like Who do I dream? Who am I dreaming about? Who do I want to hug and kiss? And even - with whom I want to spend my life? The scope of sexuality is almost impossible to regulate. You can keep saying "Girls, love the boys!" - but some girls will not care. And some of them choose not to pretend: do not play by the rules, go beyond, live with whom they want, talk about love, to whom they want. A person is conformal, seeing a person free, feels uncomfortable. The picture of the world is bursting at the seams. What is it that turns out, I live quite differently - and am I wrong? What more! Surely these "scary *** *** just no one wants, but these nasty n *** ... ..." - and so on.
About the new book
"A real girl. A book about you" is a book for girls. I decided to write it in the first place in order to dilute the work in this genre with something else. I do not say that they are all extremely bad and harmful. But undoubtedly, they support gender stereotypes and do not talk about what I myself would like to read when I was a teenage girl. What food rules are harmful and helpful. Does beauty exist. Is everything okay with my body? How to take care of him, accept and love him. Where did gender stereotypes come from and why are they harmful? How to deal with procrastination and perfectionism. What to do if thoughts of death come to mind. How to find a common language with parents. How to support a girlfriend. How to recognize unhealthy relationships. What is love. What you should think about and take care of before you have sex, marry or have children. And so on. The book was very high quality - I am pleased with my work. I hope that it will be useful to my readers, moreover, of any age. The book will be published in late March - early April.
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