Why being gay in Russia is about "love and passion"

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class="vxp vxp-map vxp-page--1280 media-asset-page" data-map-id="/news/av/stories-51473739/why-being-gay-in-russia-is-about-love-and-passion"> <div class="vxp-media-player-component" role="main"> <div class="vxp-media__container"> <div class="vxp-column--single"> <div class="vxp-media__player" data-autoplay="false"> <a href="#" class="vxp-media__player-controls off-screen" tabindex="-1" aria-hidden="true" id="media-player-controls">Media player</a> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200217102922im_/https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/208x117/p083hg8t.jpg" class="vxp-media__placeholder-image" alt="The photo Russia didn't want you to see"/> <div class="vxp-media__error-message">Media playback is unsupported on your device</div> <div class="media-player-wrapper"> <figure class="js-media-player-unprocessed media-player" data-playable="{"settings":{"counterName":"news.stories.media_asset.51473739.page","edition":"Domestic","pageType":"eav1","uniqueID":"51473739","ui":{"locale":{"lang":"en-gb"}},"externalEmbedUrl":"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/av\/embed\/p083hfw3\/51473739","insideIframe":false,"statsObject":{"clipPID":"p083cndy"},"playlistObject":{"title":"The secret moment between two gay Russian lovers was captured by Danish photographer Mads Nissen and won the prestigious World Press Photo Award in 2015.","holdingImageURL":"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/images\/ic\/$recipe\/p083hg8t.jpg","guidance":"","embedRights":"allowed","summary":"The secret moment between two gay Russian lovers was captured by Danish photographer Mads Nissen and won the prestigious World Press Photo Award in 2015.","liveRewind":false,"simulcast":false,"items":[{"vpid":"p083hfw3","live":false,"duration":548,"kind":"programme"}]}},"otherSettings":{"advertisingAllowed":true,"continuousPlayCfg":{"enabled":false},"isAutoplayOnForAudience":false}}"></figure> </div> </div> <div class="vxp-media__body"> <span class="off-screen">Video</span> <h1 class="vxp-media__headline">Why being gay in Russia is about "love and passion"</h1> <div class="vxp-media__summary"><p>Jon and Alex, a gay couple from Russia, share an intimate moment at a small apartment in St Petersburg. </p><p>This secret glimpse into their private lives was captured by Danish photographer Mads Nissen and received the prestigious World Press Photo Award in 2015.</p><p>But while people across the globe were admiring Nissen's work, life for Jon and Alex was only getting more difficult. </p><p>Members of the LGBT community in Russia say social stigma and risk of physical attacks have increased since the country approved the law banning 'gay propaganda' in 2013.</p><p>And for Jon, now that Alex is not alive, the picture is also a symbol of painful struggle and, ultimately, loss. </p><p>If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this film, you can get advice and information <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200217102922/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1nYWPTdMtKStFL2ztx1SV11/information-and-support-lgbt-issues" class="story-body__link">here</a>.</p><p><i>Reporter: Anastassia Zlatopolskai</i></p><p><i>Producer: Julia Malkin</i></p></div> <ul class="vxp-media__info-list mini-info-list"> <li class="mini-info-list__item"> <div class="mini-info-list__date vxp-date" data-seconds="1581725942" data-datetime="15 February 2020">15 Feb 2020</div> </li> </ul> <div class="vxp-media__share-tools"> <ul class="vxp-sharetools sharetools"> <li class="vxp-share__channel-desktop vxp-share__channel-out--facebook vxp-share__channel-click-extracted--facebook" aria-hidden="true"> <a class="extracted__channel-link 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Why being gay in Russia is about "love and passion" - BBC News