Proposal to Ban Sex Change Operations in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan's Mazhilis (Parliament) Deputy Magerram Magerramov has proposed a ban on sex change operations, arguing that such procedures contradict national culture, traditions, and common sense. Magerramov stressed the need to preserve traditional family values and questioned Kazakhstan’s legal framework, which currently allows gender reassignment for individuals diagnosed with gender dysphoria. “According to the Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan ‘On the Health of the People and the Health Care System’, citizens over 21 years old who do not have mental or behavioral disorders can change their gender identity. However, the very term ‘gender identity disorder’ already implies the presence of a certain deviation,” he said. The deputy argued that if a person has no physical abnormality but is diagnosed with an identity disorder, it should be classified as a mental or behavioral condition rather than grounds for medical intervention. “Interfering with a healthy body through hormone therapy and surgical procedures cannot be justified when it comes to mental or behavioral disorders. It is an attempt to bring the body in line with the subjective perception of reality, which, in my opinion, is unacceptable,” he added. Magerramov also expressed concerns about the impact on social norms, saying that gender transition was influenced by ideas unacceptable to Kazakh culture. The World Health Organization (WHO), however, removed transgender identity from the list of mental illnesses in its International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) in 2019. Magerramov’s speech is not the first time he has criticized what he refers to as "Western values." Earlier, he accused foreign sponsors, particularly USAID, of funding women’s marches and LGBT events in Almaty. In addition, his colleague from the People’s Party of Kazakhstan, MP Irina Smirnova, has proposed a law on foreign agents, which would require media and NGOs to disclose sources of foreign funding.
