'Pure Satanism': LGBTQ+ community under pressure as Putin bans gender correction

Russia has recently given approval to a new law that deals a heavy blow to the LGBTQ+ community in the country.

This legislation, passed with unanimous support from both houses of parliament, prohibits any form of medical or official gender change.

Under this law, all medical procedures aimed at altering a person’s sex are strictly forbidden.

Additionally, changing gender details on official documents and public records is now prohibited, except in cases where medical intervention is required to treat congenital anomalies.

The law goes even further by annulling marriages where one partner has undergone a gender change. Furthermore, transgender individuals are now barred from becoming foster or adoptive parents.

The motivation behind this ban seems to be the Kremlin’s dedication to preserving what it perceives as Russia’s “traditional values.” Lawmakers argue that this legislation is necessary to protect the nation from what they term “western anti-family ideology.” Some even go so far as to label gender transitioning as “pure satanism.”

It is important to note that this is not the first instance of Russia tightening its grip on LGBTQ+ rights. The crackdown on this community began approximately ten years ago, when the president initially emphasized the importance of upholding “traditional family values,” a stance supported by the Russian Orthodox church.

In 2013, Russia enacted a law that prohibited any public support or promotion of “nontraditional sexual relations” among minors. Then, in 2020, Putin managed to pass constitutional reforms that explicitly outlawed same-sex marriage. Finally, just last year, a law was signed to ban the dissemination of “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations” among adults.

This new legislation has sparked international concern and condemnation, as it infringes upon the rights and freedoms of the LGBTQ+ community in Russia, raising further questions about human rights and equality in the country.