Russia Bans Image of Putin in Drag

An image of Vladimir Putin wearing makeup has been banned in Russia, adding to a list of forbidden “extremist” materials that already numbered over 4,000. No. 4,071 now contends that a poster depicting Putin with painted lips and eyes illegally implies “the supposed nonstandard sexual orientation of the president of the Russian Federation.” Putin has been commonly photoshopped into drag in images since 2013, when Russia passed a law banning gay “propaganda.” The Moscow Times reports the new ban may be related to a May 2016 verdict that came after a man called AV Tsvetkov circulated the photoshopped picture with others—including ones that showed Putin and Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev in Nazi uniforms. Online, images of Putin in drag are being shared to spite the ban, often gleefully.