The toughening of the law means a ban on “medical interventions aimed at changing a person’s sex” and a ban on “changing gender identity in state registers without surgery”. Hormone therapy is also covered by the ban, writes Meduza. The only exception where gender correction should continue to be allowed is cases where children were born with “congenital anomalies”, but even in such cases prior approval by the authorities is required.
Broad support
The proposal was put forward in May and has now been clubbed in a first round. Formally, two more votes must be held for the tightening of the law to pass, but already everything indicates that this will happen because the proposal has broad support in the Duma. Close to 400 out of 450 members signed.
One of those who helped design the tightening of the law is Pyotr Tolstoy from the ruling United Russia party. According to him, the changes should act as “a barrier whose task is to prevent the penetration of Western ideologies that are against the family”.
– One must not forget that gay couples can today be allowed to adopt children if one of them changes gender. Unfortunately, we have already seen such examples, said Tolstoy in the lectern.
Sees a risk of more suicides
Before the vote, the Russian Ministry of Health had presented a document warning of an increase in the number of suicides if the proposal is adopted in its current form. But that did not prevent all 365 members who were present from voting yes to the proposal.
– We do not want this in our country. A diabolical policy is being implemented in the US and it hardly leads to anything good. It is pure Satanism, said Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin.
Volodin expressed a hope that the Duma will finally adopt the new law before the summer break.