Keep calm and Coming Out: LGBTQ+ support in Russia

We hope your holiday season is starting gently, with the warmth and rest you all deserve. As this is the last report we share with you in 2025, we wanted to take a moment to look back at the year together. Thanks to your solidarity, we were able to continue supporting LGBTQ+ people in Russia through another difficult chapter — and we want you to know exactly where your support went.

Since the beginning of the year, here is what you helped make possible:

147 career consultations — because queer people deserve dignity, stability, and the chance to build a better quality of life, even under the laws they face today.

682 legal consultations — as state repression grows, so does the need for protection. Your support allowed our lawyers to stand by everyone who reached out for help.

2,188 psychological consultations — giving people across Russia a safe, non-judgmental space to speak, heal and receive professional support, no matter where they are right now.

And beyond these numbers, there was much more. Our team continued research work, ran advocacy sessions, and helped fight dozens of cases in courts — everything we can do to make life safer for queer people in Russia. Even today.

Finally, we launched Friends of ComingOut, a new program bringing together supporters around the world who gather in their cities to talk about LGBTQ+ rights in Russia and why this struggle matters to them, even from afar. From small dinners with friends to bright, joyful events, people everywhere are coming together to strengthen this global community.
Would you like to join them?

Thank you for being with us this year. We truly could not have done any of this without you.

Wishing you happy holidays, and see you in 2026.

With gratitude,
The ComingOut Team