PINK NEWS: 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. » | Emily Chudy | Friday, June 16, 2023
