World News

On June 14, Russia’s State Duma passed a bill banning surgical operations “aimed at changing a person’s sex” and changing one’s gender marker in legal documents in its first reading. During the session, multiple parties in the Duma vocally criticized the document. After Russia’s Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko criticised the law and supported the prohibition of “sex changes” -the term the Duma uses to describe gender transitions- solely based on a patient's request and advocated stricter requirements for surgery and hormone therapy, but did not advocate a complete ban on gender transitions, Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin asked Murashko not to propose any amendments to the law. "We would like the Ministry of Health not to issue any amendments by the second reading, reasoning that it takes care of people. Care should be taken, if you will, by banning all this fornication,” Volodin said.