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First of all, I am really sorry if what I am asking seems prejudiced or offends someone. I really have no intension to cause any harm. I will be for a summer school in Moscow for about 3 weeks, from May 7 to May 29.

Now, from what I have been told (of course not all, not even the majority of) Russians can be aggressive or worse to homosexuals.

I am wondering if having long hair will "trigger" any kind of reaction. Besides the long hair I have a smallish beard and I am not in any other way feminine looking. Whether I am gay or not is besides the point.

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    Voted to reopen. Russia and in general the former Ostbloc states had quite strong homophobia; outing or being caught in homosexual acts was punished in penal camps. I don't know enough to answer how the current situation is, but the question is entirely justified.
    – Thorsten S.
    May 2, 2018 at 23:43
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    I have never heard of long hear being associated with homosexuality.
    – 0x60
    May 5, 2018 at 0:28
  • Not quite clear what your question is, but don't worry.
    – Neusser
    May 5, 2018 at 8:34
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    Long hair, man buns etc are quite fashionable at the moment and not specifically associated with being gay anywhere in the world.
    – Summer
    May 7, 2018 at 12:26
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    Homophobia is very overstated by the western media. Of course, if you want to start a gay parade, people won't like that as this goes against the culture. In Russia you are expected to dress accordingly to your gender, also Russians are reserved with regard to public display of affection to a certain degree. Other than that, no one gives a damn about your sexual orientation, it is supposed to be private.
    – Malcolm
    May 22, 2018 at 11:05

2 Answers 2

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As a Russian long-haired man myself, I can assure that you will be more often confused with an orthodox priest/monk than anything else.

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    Another Russian wearing long hair here, I fully second that. Never had any problems of this kind in my life, neither at work, nor anywhere else.
    – Malcolm
    May 22, 2018 at 11:08
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I've had relatively long hair throughout my youth while living in Russia, and overall I'd say it's not a big issue. Sometimes people would joke, occasionally in a mean way, like "hey, what are you a girl?" or something like that... But it didn't happen often, maybe a few times over several years.

And in terms of homophobia - no, long hair in general isn't associated with being gay, at least not in Russia. In recent years I'd say it became a bit more fashionable, as it's reminiscent of old Slavic traditional hairstyle (especially if combined with a beard). Unless you wear pink top & skinny jeans, no one would think of long hair as "gay". Not normally, I mean, there are some crazy people everywhere...

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