
Russian lawmakers on Tuesday introduced a draft bill that would impose a ban on gender-affirming surgery, the latest move in the Kremlin-orchestrated crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights.
The draft submitted by 400 members of the 450-seat lower house, the State Duma, would ban any gender-affirming surgery except that intended to treat "congenital physiological anomalies." Those exclusive cases will be regulated by dedicated medical panels that will be closely overseen by the government.