17 May is the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia. It's also my birthday, and for the third year running I'm asking for the same thing instead of gifts: please donate to Coming Out, an organisation supporting LGBTQ+ people in Russia.

Queer people in Russia are living through one of the most hostile political climates in the world. Safe spaces, mental health support, legal guidance,  none of that is a given there. Coming Out exists to fill that gap.

This year things got even harder. In February 2026 a Russian court designated Coming Out as an "extremist organisation", the first LGBT rights group to get that label, in a closed hearing based on a classified Justice Ministry lawsuit. They're now operating from outside Russia and haven't stopped: free counselling, legal advice, peer support, career mentoring and the independent research that international human rights bodies rely on. Their response to the ruling: "This is another confirmation that our work is important and needed."

I do this every year because I want queer people in Russia to have what everyone deserves: safety, community, somewhere to turn. For three years now I've been dancing outside the Russian Embassy on 17 May with my friends from Yasnaya Britannia, and I'm not stopping. By donating to organisations like Coming Out you directly support the people doing this work on the ground, every day. And I'll keep dancing until the day we can do it in rainbows and glitter on Red Square.