The State Duma adopted in the second reading the draft law on banning gender reassignment

The State Duma approved in the second, main reading, the draft law on banning sex change and changing the gender marker in Russia. As reported on the chamber’s website, the document was adopted unanimously at the plenary session on July 13.

The draft law establishes a complete ban on medical interventions aimed at sex change. The exception will be cases of treatment of congenital physiological anomalies of sex formation in children.

The first reading of the document was held in mid-June. According to the amendments introduced for subsequent consideration, people who have changed their gender marker will be prohibited from adopting children. If in an officially married couple, one of the partners has changed the gender marker, then the marriage is subject to annulment.

According to the current legislation, in order to change the gender marker and carry out the necessary operations, trans people must first obtain a certificate with a diagnosis of “transsexualism”. On its basis, it is possible to change the birth certificate, and then the passport. Trans people can also subsequently receive medical assistance: hormone therapy and referral for surgery.

The draft law, adopted in the second reading by the State Duma, completely prohibits both the change of documents and medical assistance to trans people, the Russian service of the BBC notes.