Russia bans sex change and transgender marriages 

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a new legislation that deals a significant blow to the LGBTQ+ community in the country. The act, passed unanimously by both houses of parliament, strictly prohibits individuals from officially or medically changing their gender, further marginalizing Russia’s embattled LGBTQ+ population.

Comprehensive Ban on Gender Changes and More

• The new legislation imposes a comprehensive ban on various aspects related to gender changes.
• It prohibits any medical interventions aimed at altering a person’s sex and also bars individuals from changing their gender in official documents or public records.
• Only medical intervention to treat congenital anomalies will be allowed under the new law.
• Furthermore, the legislation goes beyond restricting gender changes and extends its impact to marriages and family planning.
• It annuls marriages in which one of the partners has undergone a gender change, and it outright prevents transgender individuals from becoming foster or adoptive parents.

Preserving “Traditional Values” and Combating “Western Ideology”

• The ban on gender changes and the wider crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights in Russia are rooted in the Kremlin’s pursuit of preserving what it deems as the nation’s “traditional values.”
• Lawmakers argue that the legislation is essential to protect Russia against what they view as “western anti-family ideology.”
• Some legislators have even labeled gender transitioning as “pure satanism,” highlighting the extent of the conservative stance taken by the government.

A Decade of LGBTQ+ Crackdown in Russia

• Russia’s stringent measures against LGBTQ+ individuals have been on the rise over the past decade.
• It began with President Putin’s emphasis on promoting “traditional family values,” a stance that found support from the Russian Orthodox Church.
• In 2013, the Kremlin passed legislation that forbade any public endorsement of “nontraditional sexual relations” among minors.
• Subsequently, in 2020, Putin introduced constitutional reforms that banned same-sex marriages.
• Last year, another law was enacted to suppress the “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations” among adults, further tightening the grip on LGBTQ+ rights in the country.

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