Russian President Vladimir Putin said the LGBTQ community is part of society while Russian authorities asked the Supreme Court to declare the LGBTQ 'movement' extremist.

Speaking at the cultural forum in St. Petersburg on Friday, Putin said it's required to show the life of the LGBTQ community when competing at cultural contests in Western countries, but added that they have the right to do so.

"This is also part of society, this is what people live for. It's only bad if they are the only ones to win the competition," Putin said.

On the same day, the Russian Justice Ministry said it has filed a lawsuit with the nation's Supreme Court to outlaw the LGBTQ+ “international public movement” as extremist, the latest crippling blow against the already beleaguered LGBTQ+ community in the increasingly conservative country.

The ministry said in an online statement announcing the lawsuit that authorities have identified “signs and manifestations of extremist nature” in “the activities of the LGBT movement active" in Russia, including “incitement of social and religious discord.”

Russia's Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing to consider the lawsuit for Nov. 30, the ministry said.

It is not yet clear what exactly the label would entail for LGBTQ+ people in Russia if the Supreme Court sides with the Justice Ministry, and the ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

But the move in itself represents the latest, and possibly by far the most drastic, step in the decade-long crackdown on gay rights in Russia unleashed under President Vladimir Putin, who has put “traditional family values” at the cornerstone of his rule.

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