Russian lawmakers on Thursday toughened a draft law banning gender transitions, notably by scrapping transgender people’s right to adopt children, amid a surge in conservative measures since Ukraine’s offensive.
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In mid-June, the lower house of the Russian parliament, the Duma, approved this bill in the first reading, which bans medical interventions and changes in civil status for transitions.
The only exception: “congenital anomalies” in children, by decision of a medical commission at the federal level.
On Thursday, MPs passed a new version of the bill in the second reading. In a press release, the Duma specified that the text would clearly ban hormone treatments during transitions.
In addition, people who have made the transition are now “banned from adopting children in Russia” or having custody of them, according to the new wording of the text, the Duma said.
According to the new editors of the draft, a change of gender will also be a “reason” for the dissolution of a marriage.
According to the Duma, the text must be examined on Friday in the third and final reading.
Since the offensive in Ukraine launched in February 2022, the Russian authorities have multiplied their conservative measures, particularly against LGBT+ people, and claim to want to eliminate behavior they deem deviant and coming from the West.
Hours before considering the draft law, the Russian Security Services (FSB) said on Thursday that they had arrested a transgender activist accused of “treason” in favor of Ukraine.
“The FSB has foiled the illegal activities of a Russian citizen residing in the Oriol region who was involved in (a crime of) high treason for providing financial support to the Ukrainian Armed Forces,” the FSB said in a statement.
In a video of the arrest captured by the FSB and released by Russian state media, hooded and armed men in bulletproof vests and camouflage suits exit a van and brutally slam the suspect into a street wall.
“Help,” the suspect said with a groan before being handcuffed and led into the van.
According to the FSB, the detainee is a transgender LGBT+ activist, identified as female at birth, who works as a volunteer for the renowned NGO OVD-Info to document political repressions in Russia.
However, according to the FSB, the suspect is also the administrator of a project that organized money transfers to organizations in Ukraine “with the aim” of funding the Ukrainian army.
He is under investigation for “high treason,” a crime punishable by life imprisonment in Russia.