Unprinted Activism: Russian Fanfiction and the Pro-Queer Movement on Runet Archives

Notwithstanding increasingly severe censorship and the shortcomings of the book distribution system, Russian writers have found a way to keep pro-queer literature alive in a space of their own: the virtual communities of fanfiction archives. Renouncing the materiality of books and gaining the anonymity of the web, Russian activists have created an online literary dissemination space where censorship can be bypassed, and the queer community can thrive despite the most recent “anti-gay laws”. Through the presentation of the case study on Major Grom Kink Fest, this contribution aims at shedding light on the inner workings of Russian online activism on fanfiction websites. Despite being studied in an Anglo-American context and perspective, fanfiction has largely been ignored by the Russian mainstream literary world, and this invisibility has granted a level of freedom that is unreachable through regular publishing; at the same time, the virtual nature of this online sub-culture has bridged the geographical distance between people, bringing together readers and writers with shared ideas and opinions. Using these advantages, in 2022 a group of activists was able to create and distribute pro-queer literature and raise funds for the refugees of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict, doubly mocking the current government – and getting away with it. Going beyond the physical book and the traditional publishing system, Russian writers have established a new samizdat sub-culture, and are building on a long tradition of antigovernment literary movements using the tools of the digital era.