In what might be the most iconic case of queer resistance by Photoshop, a Russian World War II memorial now features seven images of American gay adult film star Billy Herrington—unknowingly enshrined as a hero of the Battle of Kursk.
First flagged by user Jay in Kyiv, the prank was posted to X/Twitter with the caption:
“As in all things Russia, the memorial wall installed to honor Russians that were turned into hamburger in Ukraine was found to contain not only fake photos, but SEVEN(!!) photos of American gay porn actor William Herrington, photoshopped into a Russian military uniform.”
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The wall, unveiled in Zheleznogorsk to mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany, was apparently duped by a 16-year-old who submitted the images. According to another post by Jürgen Nauditt:
“Police discovered that Herrington’s photo was sent to the mural’s creators by a 16-year-old claiming to be a war hero.”
While local businessman Anton Polsky, who funded the mural, claims innocence, the damage—or art—is done. The late Herrington, a cult figure in gay adult cinema and accidental meme legend, now stands proudly among Soviet soldiers.
And honestly? It’s perfect.
Russia, under Putin, has weaponized anti-LGBTQ+ laws to an extreme, banning “gay propaganda” and even fining people for “looking too gay.” That makes Herrington’s surprise appearance on a national war memorial a sharp act of queer rebellion—both absurd and subversive.
This isn’t his first brush with Eastern European reverence. In 2022, Ukrainian activists launched a petition to replace a statue of Catherine the Great with one of Herrington “sitting at the bar with a bottle of beer.” The petition got over 26,000 signatures. The statue came down. Herrington’s didn’t go up—but clearly, the spirit lingered.
Herrington, who died in a car crash in 2018, is also beloved in Japan, where he became an internet meme known as “Aniki” after a scene from one of his films was uploaded to Nico Nico Douga in 2007. From gay icon to global legend, his journey was anything but predictable.
“It was easier for me to do it in front of a camera and in front of a film crew. I guess because I was in character,” Herrington once said about coming to terms with his sexuality.
That character now stands as a symbol of queer defiance—smiling from a Russian war mural in full military drag.
Billy would’ve loved it. And then probably flexed.
Somewhere in Zheleznogorsk, a confused bureaucrat is still asking: Who the hell is Aniki?
Source: DailyStar