Russian lawmakers approve bill banning gender transition, clamping down on LGBTQ rights

Russian lawmakers have given initial approval to a bill that would outlaw gender transitioning procedures.
The bill bans any “medical interventions aimed at changing the sex of a person,” as well as changing one’s gender in official documents and public records.
The bill must receive three readings by Russia’s lower house of parliament, the State Duma, but there is little doubt it will pass because about 400 members of the 450-seat house signed it.
The crackdown on the LGBTQ+ community started well before last year, however, and the Kremlin has ramped up its rhetoric about protecting “traditional values” from what it called the West’s “degrading” influence.
Doctors won’t be allowed to diagnose those seeking to transition, hormonal therapy and surgery will be outlawed for those who haven’t yet managed to change their gender in the documents.