Russian lawmakers introduce draft bill to ban gender-affirming surgery

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian lawmakers have introduced a draft bill imposing 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, and released Tuesday would ban any gender-affirming surgery except that intended to treat “congenital physiological anomalies.” Those exclusive cases will be regulated by a dedicated medical panels and overseen by the government. The proposed legislation would also ban legal name and gender changes in public records and official documents. The new bill reflects an increasingly intolerant Kremlin stand on gender issues. It comes along with an intensifying clampdown on free speech and human rights amid the Russian military action in Ukraine.