Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, previously holding the position from 1999 until 2008. He was also the Prime Minister of Russia from 1999 to 2000 and again from 2008 to 2012.
Russian Anti-Transgender Bill Compared to Republican Efforts in U.S.
Vladimir Putin, comes as LGBTQ+ advocates warn of new global attacks on rights for the community, specifically those who are transgender.Lawmakers in Russia, the government of which has long viewed as hostile toward LGBTQ+ rights, tout the legislation as protection from "the Western anti-family ideology." However, critics say the bill will cause undue harm to Russia's transgender community.Maria Sjödin, the executive director of the international LGBTQ+ advocacy organization Outright International, told Newsweek on Saturday afternoon that Russia's new law "takes matters even further" for a community already under "enormous pressure" by existing anti-gay and anti-transgender laws.At least 491 anti-LGBTQ laws have been introduced in state legislatures so far in 2023, and 77 have been signed into law, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
These bills target a number of LGBTQ+ rights including banning gender affirming health care for transgender youth, limiting the discussion of LGBTQ+ identities in schools and preventing public drag performances.Some conservative lawmakers also introduced bills aimed at limiting access to gender affirming care for adults, but these efforts have struggled to garner enough support to pass state legislatures or have failed legal challenges.
For instance, a judge struck down a Florida law that prevented the use of Medicaid for gender-affirming health care last month.Sjödin told Newsweek that anti-LGBTQ+ laws in Russia and the U.S.
are driven by the same ideology."The ideology behind the prohibition on gender affirming care for youth in the US and for every trans person in Russia is the same.
