Shainyan is originally from
Irkutsk, in
Siberia, the son of two scientists. In 2005 he obtained a university degree in biochemistry from the
Russian National Research Medical University. Openly gay, he runs a YouTube channel called
Straight Talk with Gay People, where he interviews international LGBT+ figures in order to dispel myths
commonly held in Russia about the LGBT+ community. The channel's 2020 interview with American actor
Billy Porter marked the first time a Russian journalist had interviewed Porter. He co-founded the Future History studio with
Mikhail Zygar. He was one of the creators of the
1968.Digital show that was presented at the
2018 Cannes Film Festival. In August 2020, he released a documentary titled
The Chechen War on LGBT. In December 2020, he released a documentary titled
Minsk: Queer and Techno Protest Against the OMON, documenting the experiences of the Minsk LGBT+ community during the
2020–2021 Belarusian protests and the subsequent repression by
OMON, the Belarusian riot police. In February 2022, he spoke out against the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. In April 2022, he was designated a
foreign agent by the Russian
Ministry of Justice. According to
Novaya Gazeta Europe and
The Insider, in July 2023 Shainyan was listed in the
Rosfinmonitoring list of "extremists and terrorists". In 2023, Shainyan moved to
London and decided to pursue training in psychoanalysis. He applied to and was accepted by the
Tavistock and Portman Clinic. Although Shainyan is sometimes described as an LGBTQ+ activist, he disagrees with this label. In his own words, he has never been an activist. "I have always worked in media and have never violated journalistic standards," he stated in an interview with
Holod. == References ==