Russian President Vladimir Putin signed new legislation on Monday that effectively outlaws gender-affirming operations, dealing a severe blow to Russia’s already beleaguered LGBTQ+ community.
The bill, which was overwhelmingly approved by both chambers of parliament, prohibits any “medical interventions aimed at changing the sex of a person,” as well as changing one’s gender in official documents and public records. Medical intervention to cure congenital abnormalities will be the lone exception.
It also nullifies marriages when one of the partners has “changed gender” and prohibits transgender people from becoming foster or adoptive parents.
Lawmakers believe the legislation is intended to protect Russia from “Western anti-family ideology
The prohibition is supposed to be the result of the Kremlin’s crusade to safeguard the country’s “traditional values.” Lawmakers believe the legislation is intended to protect Russia from “Western anti-family ideology,” with some calling gender transitioning “pure satanism. (https://www.sliderrevolution.com) ”
Russia’s persecution of LGBTQ+ individuals began a decade ago when Putin initially declared an emphasis on “traditional family values,” which the Russian Orthodox Church embraced.
The Kremlin passed regulations in 2013 prohibiting any public encouragement of “nontraditional sexual relations” among adolescents.
Putin pushed through constitutional revision that prohibited same-sex marriage in 2020, and last year approved legislation prohibiting “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations” among adults as well.
