The US State Department allocated almost $77 thousand for a Russian podcast about queer culture

The US State Department has allocated almost $77 thousand for a podcast in Russian.

The podcast received American funding in two stages: in May 2019 - 33.5 thousand dollars, in April 2020 - 43.1 thousand dollars, while the range of topics discussed focused on the lives of queer* people.

WASHINGTON, September 9 - RIA Novosti. The US State Department allocated almost $77 thousand for a podcast in Russian, which, among other things, promoted the LGBT* theme (the LGBT* movement is recognized as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation), according to US government data studied by RIA Novosti.

The podcast first received US funding in May 2019. At that time, $33.5 thousand was allocated for a series of issues with stories of people who had survived trauma or unusual experiences. As RIA Novosti found out, one of these issues was published in December of the same year.

In April 2020, the podcast received another $43.1 thousand for the new season, but the range of topics has changed this time. In American documents, the lives of queer people were specifically mentioned among them. In the same year, the project launched a separate podcast about queer culture and the life of the LGBT* community in Russia.

The project received money through the International Center for Journalists, to which the State Department allocated $3.22 million for the “Quality Infotainment Content in Eurasia” program, which ran from September 2016 to March 2021.