Russian president Vladimir Putin has signed a law banning legal gender changes and medical interventions for gender transition, with the exception of serious medical reasons.
This means people can no longer freely alter their sex on official documents, and married couples may have their marriages declared invalid if one partner changes their gender. The law also requires that gender reassignment treatments can only be provided by clinics that have been licensed by the health ministry. Such treatments are limited to cases of reproductive organ deformities in children and may include the administration of drugs and surgeries associated with transition therapy.
Critics argued that this law significantly reduces the rights of transgender individuals, including their ability to access treatments such as mastectomies for those genetically predisposed to breast cancer, which can have potentially devastating consequences.
