Russia wants to ban all trans healthcare and gender recognition
Russia set to ban all gender-affirming healthcare. (Getty Images)
Russia has given initial approval to a bill that would outlaw gender-affirming healthcare for trans people of all ages.
The proposed bill reportedly bans any “medical interventions aimed at changing the sex of a person”, as well as changing gender markers on official documents like passports.
Senior politician Pyotr Tolstoy, who sponsored the bill, claimed on Wednesday (14 June) it would “protect Russia with its cultural and family values and traditions and stop the infiltration of the Western anti-family ideology,” the Associated Press reported.
Lawmakers also reportedly claimed the proposed law would prevent anybody registered as male from changing their gender in official documents to avoid the military draft.
It will now go to Russia’s lower house of parliament, the State Duma, where it must receive three readings to be signed into law. The bill was approved unanimously in its first reading, The Times reported.
The Russian bill follows similar efforts elsewhere in the world, including in the US, where several states are attempting to ban or limit gender-affirming care for young people.
According to Equaldex, Russian trans people can currently receive a certificate recognising their gender from a medical commission.
Trans rights activist Maxim, who spoke to AP about the potential law, explained that the current situation in Russia with regards to gender-affirming care is “unique in a good way”. Unlike some other countries, gender-affirming care or surgeries are currently not required to change the gender on legal documents.
Under the new law, trans people who have already changed their gender marker on their official documents will reportedly be able to continue receiving gender-affirming care, however those who have not yet changed their official gender marker will be banned from doing so.
The proposed bill comes after Russia voted to expand its notorious LGBTQ+ “propaganda” bill to cover all ages in November 2022.
The law, which previously only applied to under-18s, prevents any promotion of LGBTQ+ identities or same-sex relationships in Russian media.
Igor Kochetkov of the Russian LGBT Network explained the expansion of the bill represented “part of a broader attack on anything the government deems ‘western and progressive’.”
YouTuber Gela Gogishvili, who was arrested and detained in April along with his partner Haoyang Xu for allegedly violating the “LGBTQ+ propaganda” law, warned that the law was “working” in order to silence LGBTQ+ people in Russia.
“What it means is that, if you are queer, you have to be silent, and the propaganda is working because this is what will happen to you,” he said.
“You either have to be silent if you want to stay in Russia or, if you want to express all of this, you have to get out of Russia.”
