Chinese LGBTQ blogger detained by Russia for breaking alleged same-sex "propaganda" legislation

Russian authorities arrested a Chinese LGBTQ blogger Wednesday for allegedly violating a law that bans so-called same-sex “propaganda.” Haoyang Xu was found guilty during a hearing Thursday and is being held in a temporary detention center for foreigners and faces deportation from Russia. This comes months after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill that expanded an existing ban on so-called LGBTQ “propaganda” in Russia. Xu’s Russian partner, Gela Gogishvili, has also been charged in connection with the same law. The bloggers have regularly documented their life online through social media as a same-sex couple living in Russia. According to court documents, Xu was arrested for allegedly posting videos depicting “non-traditional sexual relations” with Gogishvili. Police said they uncovered the footage during an inspection of the couple’s YouTube account and claimed nearly 1,800 of the account’s 64,900 subscribers were under 18 years of age. Video posted to the couple’s Telegram feed showed police escorting a handcuffed Xu down a staircase and