Russian Anti-Gay Group Bans BTS, Calling Them "Homosexuals"

An anti-gay group has reportedly banned screenings of BTS‘s latest concert documentary, Love Yourself in Seoul, in Russia.

The film, which chronicles BTS’s 2018 Seoul concert, takes place on August 25 and 26 at the Seoul Olympic Stadium in Seoul, South Korea. It is set to premiere worldwide on January 26, including in several Russian cities.

A major movie theater in Makhachkala has canceled tickets sales due to an outcry over “Korean homosexuals”. An anti-gay group’s social media protests began soon after the theatre began selling tickets on December 20.

According to The Moscow Times, this Dagestani Instagram group opposes “over-the-top immoral behavior”.

One poster wrote, “We need to stop this outrage … about the band BTS (seven Korean homosexuals)”, using a derogatory term to describe the members’ alleged sexual orientation. Dagestani Instagram has several popular groups that “oppose ‘freaks,’ ‘debauchery,’ ‘the modernization of fellow citizens,’ as well as any concerts that do not meet the teachings of Islam”.

Makhakala’s Cinema Hall began selling tickets after more than 800 fans campaigned to screen the documentary in their city. Now, however, the cinema has canceled the premiere, due to the group’s outcry.