LGBTQ Russians dread looming gender surgery ban: ‘the worst thing my country could do’
- The draft law has raised alarm among transgender advocates, who warn of dangers to health and long-term problems posed by a potential illicit hormone drug market
- Some say the legislation may also fuel an exodus of transgender people from Russia
Elle Solomina is 36, but she says her life truly began in 2021, when she changed her gender to female in her official Russian identification documents.
The IT worker is now watching the path she took to self-acceptance crumble, as Russia is poised to outlaw gender changes in IDs and gender-affirming medical care, including surgery.
“This is in its purest form a fascist law,” Solomina said from the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, where she fled after Russia invaded Ukraine last year. “I have not found any explanation for it, except that in a totalitarian system, the population must live in fear.”
The draft legislation, which received initial backing last month from the lower house of parliament, is the latest phase in a widespread crackdown on LGBTQ rights, which President Vladimir Putin seeks to portray as evidence of moral decay in Western countries.
News of the ban has raised alarm among transgender advocates, who warn of dangers to psychological and physical health and long-term problems posed by a potential illicit hormone drug market.
Russian state news agencies have reported that the bill will go into a second reading on Thursday. Bills require three readings, approval by the upper house of parliament, and signing by the president before becoming law.
