Russia banning gender change claiming it’s ‘path to degeneration of nation’

Russia has moved a step nearer to banning gender adjustments and reassignment surgical procedure, which its parliament’s chief has mentioned are the “path to the degeneration of the nation”.

Yesterday (Friday, July 14) noticed the State Duma approve a invoice which additionally bans individuals altering their genders on state paperwork. It additionally bans individuals who have undergone gender adjustments from adopting kids, and annulls marriages the place one get together has undergone gender reassignment.

The new regulation – which has been accused of being a ‘fascist’ assault on LGBT rights within the nation – now wants approval from the higher home and President Vladimir Putin. However, such approval is generally seen as a mere formality.

Vyacheslav Volodin, Speaker of the Duma, mentioned the invoice would “protect our citizens and our children”. In a put up on messaging app Telegram he referred to as gender-affirming surgical procedure a “path to the degeneration of the nation”.

He informed the Russian Parliament: “We are the only European country that opposes all that is happening in the [United] States, in Europe and does everything to save families and traditional values. And we need to understand that there won’t be any future if we don’t adopt the law, if we don’t ban gender change.”

LGBT rights teams have slammed the laws, arguing it is going to have a critical affect on the well being of individuals denied entry to care. Yan Dvorkin, head of the Center T organisation which offers help for Russian transgender individuals, mentioned: “I think this is an absolutely fascist law, which deprives people of medical care and any basic human rights.

“It could be very troublesome psychologically for individuals to be worrying that the federal government would possibly designate you as an enemy of the individuals and deprive you of rights, deprive you of any help, and leaves you in a lawless state.”

Yulia Alyoshina, Russia‘s solely brazenly trans politician, accused the federal government of making an attempt to “repress this small group, which is already discriminated towards and stigmatised”.

However, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that some of complaints being made about the bill were “maybe extreme”.

Statistics released by the Russian interior ministry show that, in a country of 146 million people, 2,990 Russian residents legally changed gender between 2016 and 2022. The new laws come after last year’s anti-LGBT ‘propaganda’ laws, which made any promotion of homosexuality – including in books, films and online – illegal.

Individuals can be fined up to 400,000 roubles (£5,400) and organisations 5m roubles (£68,500) for “propagandising non-traditional sexual relations” – which incorporates any public expression or portrayal of LGBT tradition. Russian President Vladimir Putin has beforehand mentioned that LGBT life run counter to conventional Russian values.