A My Little Pony convention in Moscow, Russia was shut down by observers due to their “LGBT propaganda.”
The event, called the Mi Amore Fest, was closed early Saturday, February 17 after the arrival of local police. However, officers were unable to find any illegal activity, so why the shut-down?
In 1981, the Hasbro company created the My Little Pony toy, gaining immediate popularity amongst children. Each pony had colorful bodies and manes that represent each of their own vivid personalities. Hasbro hit it big, and kids of all ages wanted to be the first to collect them all. Originally having a target audience of under 10-years-old, time moved on, and the toy created a bigger following, representing the power of friendship. It is now beloved by all ages and genders across the world.
The group that put on the event took to the Russian social media platform VK to explain why it got shut down, saying, “Our event received a complaint that we allegedly have propaganda of nontraditional relationships, appropriate symbols, 18-plus content for minors, and general horror and darkness.” These farfetched claims caused police to advise ending the event early because of the current state of the country. The organizers closed it earlier than previously discussed due to the possibility of a larger police presence. Luckily, everyone that attended and ran the convention got home safely.
In order to accommodate the law, the organizers went to the extent of changing the character Rainbow Dash, whose features include a rainbow main. Since they were afraid of the marketing effects of the original color that supposedly implements “LGBT propaganda,” they re-colored the main to be red, blue, and white in symbolism the Russian flag.
The event was still a success, as it still featured live music performances and merchandise for purchase despite its early ending. Organizers went on to say, “Honestly, even the fact that we closed a couple of hours earlier didn’t affect anything, because we already had a lot of fun and had a great time!”
Labeling the LGBTQ+ community as an extremist organization, the Russian Supreme court ruled that the “international LGBT rights movement” is indeed a terrorist organization, as they permanently weeded any display of LGBTQ+ flags or slogans.
Previously in December of 2023, Kinopoisk, the Russian online movie database, had changed its rating of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic to only be suitable for people that are 18+, feeding even further into President Vladimir Putin’s anti-LGBTQ+ political agenda.
Image courtesy of social media
