2023-07-17 12:21:37
LGTBI pride protest in the Russian city of Saint Petersburg in 2017. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov
Responding to the news that the Russian State Duma has passed legislation imposing a blanket ban on “sex change” procedures, Natalia Zviagina, Director of Amnesty International Russia, said:
The proposed amendments not only prevent these people from changing the mention of their sex in official documents, but also include provisions that prohibit them from adopting, and annul marriages when one of the parties has changed that mention.
“The ban on gender-affirming interventions, including hormone replacement therapy, will cause a unbearable suffering to thousands of Russians, will deprive them of access to essential health services and pose a serious threat to their mental health. This law effectively discriminates against transgender people and turns them into a second class population.”
“Russian authorities must immediately reconsider this pernicious legislation that will affect Russian society for generations, and take steps to protect the human rights of all people, regardless of gender identity.”
Additional information
On July 14, the State Duma – the lower house of the Russian Parliament – adopted a set of amendments to the Family Code and various federal laws with the goal of prohibiting legal recognition of gender identity and gender affirmation interventions. Those who have undergone gender reassignment surgery abroad will not be able to obtain legal recognition of gender identity in Russia.
These amendments include the ban on gender affirming interventions such as gender reassignment surgery and hormone therapywith the sole exception of surgeries aimed at treating “congenital anomalies (malformations) and endocrine and genetic diseases associated with formation problems of the genital organs of boys and girls.”
These remaining surgical possibilities must be approved by state medical advisory boards before mentioning sex in official documents can be changed.
People who have submitted to gender affirmation will be prohibited from adopting or exercising legal guardianship, and their marriages will be automatically annulled.
The modifications will not apply retroactively to those who have obtained legal recognition of gender identity before their entry into force.
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