Putin signs ban on transgender surgery into law
The law was previously passed by both the lower and upper house of the Russian Parliament
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Physical and legal sex changes are now outlawed in Russia under a new law passed by the national government.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law Tuesday a bill amending the country's Family Code to ban "medical interventions aimed at changing the sex of a person."
The new law also banned alterations to citizens' passports, identification cards and state registrations.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}RUSSIAN LAWMAKERS OUTLAW TRANSGENDER MEDICAL PROCEDURES TO AFFIRM 'TRADITIONAL VALUES'
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting of the Presidential Council for Science and Education via a video link at the Kremlin in Moscow. (Photo by MIKHAIL METZEL/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)
Lawmakers have framed the legislation as a proactive measure against "Western anti-family ideology."
The legislation was previously passed through both the upper and lower houses of the Russian Parliament — the State Duma and the Federation Council, respectively.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Additional clauses in the bill designates gender changes as grounds for a marriage annulment and bans transgender individuals from adopting children.
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A demonstrator holds a placard reading "Save Trans People in Russia" as transgender people and their supporters march through central London during the fifth Trans Pride protest march for transgender freedom and equality in the U.K. and globally. (Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
It contains the sole exception for medical interventions to treat congenital anomalies.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The bill was strengthened and passed unanimously earlier this month in its third and final reading in the lower house of parliament.
It comes ahead of Russia's 2024 presidential election. Putin has consistently campaigned as a champion of family values, encouraging Russians to marry and have more children and offering monetary awards to parents with large families.
He has developed close ties to the Russian Orthodox Church and, in speeches, has portrayed Western liberal values as destructive compared to "traditional values."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures during a meeting with the winners and finalists of the School Teacher of the Year national contest via videoconference at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow on Oct. 5, 2022. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
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"Do we really want to have here, in our country, in Russia, 'Parent No. 1, No. 2, No. 3' instead of 'Mom' and 'Dad?'" Putin asked in September 2022 at a political ceremony during which Russia formally annexed regions of Ukraine.
He continued, "Do we really want perversions that led to degradation and extinction to be imposed in our schools from the primary grades?"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In 2020, Putin advocated for a constitutional reform that outlawed same-sex marriage.