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This paper concerns how pro- and anti-regime political youth organizations in Russia are using gender as a means of gaining attention and representation in an authoritarian political arena. I examine the ways that pro- and anti-regime political youth groups wield masculinity and femininity to attract young people to participate in their political actions (and to adopt their political perspectives). I also show how both pro-Putin, regimesponsored youth organizations (like the infamous group, Nashi) as well as liberal antiregime youth groups, wield masculinity, femininity, and homophobia in support of their own political positions, and against their political opponents. In the past two years, there have been a rash of political actions in which young Russian women disrobe (to varying degrees) to demonstrate their support of political leaders (Putin in particular). These range from a calendar featuring semi-naked pro-Kremlin female students, published for Putin's birthday in 2010, to female fans of Dmitry Medvedev doing a public strip tease in a Moscow square in summer 2011. Meanwhile, pro-Putin youth try to undermine the credibility of opposition (liberal) politicians by labeling them as gay, or as sexually "deviant" (one exhibit at Nashi's yearly summer camp, for instance, consisted of photoshopped posters of three opposition politicians, portraying them as transvestite prostitutes "selling" Russia). Attempts by the liberal opposition to use similarly homophobic tactics against Putin (imputations of homosexuality) are met with immediate resistance from the regime. For example, one artist tried to project an painting of Putin dressed as a woman onto the mayor's office building in his town, and was arrested, interrogated, beaten, and fined in response. In short, displays of masculinity by male political youth activists and political leaders, displays of femininity arrayed in support of those political leaders, and accusations of homosexuality have become highly visible tools of political action in the context of Russia's authoritarian regime. Political youth activists are making use of sex as a tool to highlight their political perspectives. Using a gender lens to shed light on politicized masculinity and politicized femininity lends insight into issues of representation and civic organizing under Russia's authoritarian regime [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study that suggests ways for both national context and catalyst in understanding online activism. It states that context relates to the nature of issues and there are variation in the context of the online engagement within countries. It further discusses the use of online mobilization by the British activists and role of Internet in health issue campaigns in Russia.