Russia advances anti-LGBTQ, anti-gender surgery bill, cites US gender debate as justification

Russia’s State Duma on Wednesday took another step toward passing a law that would ban the distribution of material promoting “non-traditional sexual relations,” citing the growing debate over LGBTQ rights and gender fluidity in USA as the reason for the law.

The bill being considered in the State Duma, Russia’s lower house, would ban websites from distributing LGBTQ-related materials or those that might incite children to request gender reassignment surgery. It also blocks the sale of physical products that address these issues, along with books and movies.

Similarly, ads would be prohibited from including “information that demonstrates non-traditional sexual relationships or preferences.”

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A bill banning materials promoting LGBT rights or encouraging children to seek gender reassignment surgery will soon be presented to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
(Mikhail Metzel/Sputnik, Kremlin pool photo via AP)

The Duma gave the measure a second reading on Wednesday. Under the Russian legislative process, a third reading is required to approve the bill in the Federation Council, the upper house. Once there, it can be signed by President Vladimir Putin.

According to the Duma, the author of the measure is the chairman of the State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, who cited trends in the US and Europe as a reason for approving it.

“He cited data from opinion polls, according to which 16% of Europeans aged 14 to 29 identify as LGBT,” the Duma reported. “And in the US state of Maryland, the number of students who have not decided their gender due to the promotion of non-traditional relationships has grown almost sixfold in two years and today represents 45% of all students of the state.”

The Duma did not cite where it received the polls, and it was not immediately clear whether the polls are indeed accurate.

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The growth of LGBTQ rights in the US and Europe was used to justify the need for counter legislation in Russia.
(Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

“We must do everything to protect our children and those who want to live a normal life. Everything else is sin, sodomy, darkness, and our country is fighting against it,” Volodin said, according to the Duma.

According to a second proposed law that also received a second reading on Wednesday, both entities and individuals could be fined for breaking the rules.

“For violation of the ban on propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations or preferences between people of any age, a fine of 50 thousand to 400 thousand rubles for citizens, from 100 thousand to 800 thousand – for officials, from 800 thousand to 5 million or suspension of activities for up to 90 days, for legal entities,” the Duma said. Fines are much higher for pedophilia violations: up to 800,000 rubles for individuals, 2 million rubles for officials and 10 million rubles for legal entities.

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(Kevin Lamarque, Pool via AP)

The bills are likely to draw fire from the Biden administration, which has supported LGBTQ rights and the right of people to adopt new gender identities, including through medical surgeries. Just this week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken chided the World Cup for not allowing players to wear a rainbow armband signifying opposition to discrimination against LGBT people and others.

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“It’s always troubling from my perspective when we see any restriction on freedom of expression. It’s especially so when the expression is about diversity and inclusion,” Blinken said in Qatar.

The State Department did not immediately return a request for comment on the Duma’s work on the bill.