Roman Alyoshin, who was once described as Russia’s first openly transgender politician, has denounced the time when he identified as a woman, and has apologized for his past lifestyle.
Alyoshin, who used to go by the name Yulia, is the former head of the minor Civic Initiative party in Siberia’s Altay region. In 2023, he attempted to run for governor, but dropped out after failing to collect the required amount of signatures from municipal MPs in support of his candidacy. Alyoshin then quit politics and largely stayed out of the public eye. His short campaign was covered by Western media, including the Washington Post and NBC News.
On Wednesday, Alyoshin updated his profile on Telegram, replacing the picture of himself with long blonde hair and in woman’s clothes to a photo of himself with short hair and wearing pants and a hoodie.
“I realized that I am a man during the Great Lent. My mother told me that I was baptized when I was seven months old,” Alyoshin wrote, sharing that he had been in a state “mental turmoil.”
“It’s difficult to transition from one psychological gender to another,” Alyoshin continued. “I went through the old photo books of my ancestors, prayed for them, and it helped me to assure myself that I am indeed a man.”
“I am a patriot of my country, that’s why I live in Russia. I apologize to all Russian people!” he added.
In an interview with local newspaper Barnfax, Alyoshin said that he had become disappointed in “liberal ideology” and left his political party in early 2024. He plans on getting a religious studies degree and wants to become a priest. According to the publication, Alyoshin now believes that the initial desire to identify as a woman was his punishment “for the sins of his ancestors.”
Russia effectively banned sexual reassignment surgery in July 2023. A year earlier, legislators expanded existing regulations to outlaw any “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations.” In November 2023, Russia’s top court added “the international LGBT movement” to the list of banned extremist groups.
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