Yuma, the lesbian activist persecuted for posing as happy family for an advertisement

A photograph ruined Yuma Yuma's life and a text, published in this newspaper, saved her. Looking back, she explains, it all seems a bit absurd. It was July 2021 when Yuma, a Russian LGTBIQ psychologist and activist, agreed to participate in an advertisement for the supermarket chain VkusVill. Several families posed for a photo and shared their cooking recipes. Yuma posed without his wife. "She worked for a state company, so no one could know that she was a lesbian," she explains by

At his side were his two daughters, Mila and Alina, and the latter's girlfriend. The photo of the happy family was glossed with glowing comments about hummus or rice from the supermarket. Sometimes there is nothing more subversive than normality.

Showing a lesbian couple alongside traditional families on an equal footing is a risky step in Russia.

Shortly after the campaign was published, hordes of

were harassing Yuma's family, flooding their social media with death threats and rape.

The network withdrew the ad and apologized for hurting its customers' feelings.

The harassment did not stop.

"We are used to hatred," explains Yuma, an LGTBIQ activist in a country where being hate can land you in jail.

“But these were not insults, they were threats.

And very serious ”.

The lynching took a dangerous turn when they published the address of the family home encouraging people to go and attack them.

So they packed their suitcase and left their home, seeking refuge in friends' houses.

More information

Russian food chain apologizes for "hurting" customers with ad for lesbian couple

The story caught the attention of María R. Sahuquillo, a correspondent for EL PAÍS in Moscow, who wrote a report on Yuma.

And then it caught the attention of many more people.

“Different people began to write to us from Spain.

When I read the messages I cried for several days.

They offered us help, they said that if we came here, we would receive protection ”.

Yuma says “here” referring to Barcelona, ​​where the family settled in August.

They have requested political asylum.

They live between houses of acquaintances and shelters.

They finally feel safe, although they still prefer not to reveal personal data such as their real last name.

Yuma was born and raised in Stavropol, a southern region of the Soviet Union, 49 years ago. So being different could land you in jail. But the harshest sentence did not derive from the law, but from the closest environment. “My parents have strongly patriarchal and homophobic convictions. And I, like many girls in the southern regions, were not given a choice. I had to get married ”. She didn't know then what it meant to be a lesbian. I couldn't know. His two daughters were his only love for many years. It was when she turned 37 that she decided to accept her sexuality. "My daughters were older and I was independent." It was then, separated, empowered, when it was proposed that no one else go through what she went through. And she decided to turn to helping other people accept her sexuality. After the fall of the regime, homosexuality was decriminalized,Hundreds of people were released from prison. But homophobia continued in society in an underground way. In 2013, the Putin regime passed the law for the persecution of homosexual propaganda, galvanizing the hunt for the different. Since then, social and state homophobia has been terrifying. Talking about LGTBIQ issues or being visible in public spaces became a crime. That's when Yuma started doing it: "It was so absurd that I raised my voice.""It was so absurd that I raised my voice.""It was so absurd that I raised my voice."

Last December, Yuma was chosen one of the 100 women of the year by the BBC. The flight of his family to Spain has given him an unexpected fame, but his militancy in activism goes a long way. Graduated in Psychology, she has led work groups for

and feminists for years. It provides psychological assistance in places like Chechnya, where international NGOs report kidnapping, torture and murder of homosexuals by the authorities. His activism has caused him problems in the past, when he had to move with his family to Georgia, although the situation for homosexuals there is not much better. "Her figure is very relevant," explains Alina Alieva, a Russian psychologist and film director. "In my country they tend to discredit these issues saying that it is a temporary confusion," he says. "And there you have Yuma: mother, grandmother, psychologist and proud." The activist points out that talking about LGTBIQ rights can lead to being removed from public life. "But the harassment of this family, all the hatred that was poured out on these women and their little girl… it's just disgusting."

Yuma adds two more adjectives: humiliating and unfair.

He loves his life in Spain, although he does not forget that he is not here by choice.

He denounces the oppressive turn of the Putin regime: "The state is actively destroying all human rights organizations, editorials and any activist initiative that contradicts power."

That is why he says that he will continue to fight for the rights of minorities in a land from which they have been expelled.

“I love my wife and I want to be able to do it with dignity.

And I want this for everyone.

By nature we have the right to love and build our lives with dignity.

In Russia they took away this right from us ”.

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