Red Closet: The Hidden History of Gay Oppression in the USSR

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A poignant and deeply researched history of gay oppression in the USSR.

In 1934, Joseph Stalin enacted sodomy laws, unleashing a wave of brutal detentions of homosexual men in large Soviet cities.

Red closet recounts the compelling stories of people whose lives were affected by those laws, including a nave Scottish journalist who dared to write to Stalin in an attempt to save his lover from prosecution and a homosexual theatre student who came to Moscow in pursuit of a career amid Stalins harsh repressions and mass arrests. We also meet a fearless doctor in Siberia who provided medical treatment for gay men at his own peril and a much-loved Soviet singer who hid his homosexuality from the secret police.

Each story helps paint the hitherto unknown picture of how Soviet oppression of gay people originated and was perpetuated from Stalins rule until the demise of the USSR. This book comes at a time when homophobia is again rearing its ugly head under Putins rule.

Reviews

SHORTLISTED FOR THE PEOPLE'S BOOK PRIZE 2023

'As President Putin ramps up his anti-queer attacks, this book is particularly timely and important. Alexander has done a superb job of telling the history of homosexuality in Russia since the Revolution, and his book deserves to be widely read.'
Dennis Altman, author of Homosexual: Oppression and Liberation and Global Sex

'At a time when President Putins regime is viciously repressing Russias LGBTQ community and criminalizing anyone who speaks up about lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans lives, the appearance of this book is an important act of resistance. Red closet brings to life stories of gay oppression in the Soviet Union and traces some of the roots of contemporary Russias homophobia.'
Dan Healey, author of Russian Homophobia from Stalin to Sochi

'Rustam Alexander has undertaken rigorous archival research with great passion to produce a superb book. His narrative is refreshingly free of academic jargon and theory but Red closet can be appreciated by a wide readership.'
Stephen Bourne, author of Fighting Proud: The Untold Story of the Gay Men Who Served in Two World Wars

'In the world of academic writing in Slavic Studies, Alexanders book is a fresh take on storytelling for all.[This] new book is a queer socialist historical thriller and a page-turner. It serves the drama (of which Soviet queer history has more than plenty) and does it in a way that makes the readers keep wanting more. And I cannot help but want to see more from this author.'
The Russian Review

'A crucially important and highly readable account of the oppression of gay men and lesbians in the Soviet Union.'
Siobhn Hearne, CEU Review of Books

Author Bio

Rustam Alexander is a historian and independent scholar who obtained his PhD from the University of Melbourne. He is the author of Regulating homosexuality in Soviet Russia, 195691.