Gay Propaganda brings together original stories, interviews and testimonials to capture the lives and loves of LGBT Russians living both in Russia and in exile today. It is an intentionally provocative riposte to Russia’s recently passed and ill-defined ban on “homosexual propaganda.” As part of a strategy to consolidate political control in Russia following massive pro-democracy protests that shook the government, President Vladimir Putin decided it needed an enemy to unite the country. The Kremlin opted to demonize gays and lesbians. In June 2013 Putin signed a bill banning the “propaganda” of so-called non-traditional relationships. Predictably, in the months that followed, anti-gay attacks spread across Russia. The stories gathered in Gay Propaganda offer a timely and intimate window into the hardships faced by Russians on the receiving end of state-sanctioned homophobia, as well as the the humor, passion, and resilience people show in the face of adversity. Here are stories of men and women in long-term committed relationships as well as those still looking for love; of those raising kids or negotiating difficult family dynamics; of those facing the challenges of continuing to live in Russia or joining a rapidly growing exodus

The ascension of Vladimir Putin—a former lieutenant colonel of the KGB—to the presidency of Russia in 1999 should have been a signal that the country was headed away from democracy. Yet in the intervening years—as America and the world’s other leading powers have continued to appease him—Putin has grown not only into a dictator but a global threat. With his vast resources and nuclear weapons, Putin is at the center of a worldwide assault on political liberty. For Garry Kasparov, none of this is news. He has been a vocal critic of Putin for over a decade, even leading the pro-democracy opposition to him in the farcical 2008 Presidential election. Yet years of seeing his Cassandra-like prophecies about Putin’s intentions fulfilled have left Kasparov with the realization of a darker truth: Putin’s Russia, like ISIS or Al Qaeda, defines itself in opposition to the free countries of the world. He is still fighting the Cold War, even as Americans have first moved beyond it, and over time, forgotten its lessons. Lest we be drawn into another prolonged conflict, Kasparov now urges a forceful stand—diplomatic and economic—against him. For as long as the world’s powerful democracies continue to recognize and negotiate with Putin, he can maintain credibility in his home country. He faces few strong enemies within his country, so meaningful opposition must come from abroad. Argued with the force of Kasparov’s world-class intelligence, conviction, and hopes for his home country, Winter is Coming is an unmistakable call to action against a threat we’ve ignored for too long