St. Petersburg Bookstore Raided, Ordered to Remove LGBTQ+ and Feminist Titles

A historic independent bookstore in St. Petersburg, Podpisniye Izdaniya, has been ordered by local authorities to remove dozens of titles alleged to violate Russia’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws, as reported by local media on Thursday.

Law enforcement officers carried out a raid on the bookstore, which has operated for over a century, presenting staff with a list of 48 titles for immediate removal. Several titles addressed themes such as LGBTQ+ identity, feminism, and political dissent.

According to bookstore staff speaking with the Telegram news channel Rotonda, the list also included works by well-known dissident author Vladimir Sorokin, along with publications by journalists designated as “foreign agents,” including Sergei Parkhomenko and Valery Panyushkin.

Footage shared by broadcaster 78.ru showed uniformed police inspecting bookshelves labeled “feminism” and “gender studies,” while speaking with employees. Local outlet Fontanka noted that officials showed a particular interest in books published by Ad Marginem, a respected publishing house that frequently releases socially critical literature.

The raid follows the expansion of Russia’s controversial 2013 “LGBT propaganda law,” which was broadened in December 2022 to ban the public portrayal of LGBTQ+ relationships and non-traditional lifestyles in all media, including books. Since then, major booksellers such as Chitay-Gorod, Labirint, and Respublika have voluntarily removed LGBTQ+ content to avoid legal repercussions.

Although Russian officials deny the existence of a formal banned book list, journalists and civil rights organizations have documented the unofficial censorship of hundreds of titles across the country.

The move against Podpisniye Izdaniya has sparked fresh concerns among advocates for freedom of expression, signaling an intensifying crackdown on literature and discourse that challenges state narratives.