Kazakhstan Senate Passes LGBTQ+ “Propaganda” Ban; Presidential Approval Expected

Kazakhstan’s Senate has approved controversial legislation banning LGBTQ+ advocacy, moving the Central Asian nation closer to implementing restrictions modeled after similar laws in Russia. The bill, which passed the lower chamber last month, now awaits President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s signature, which observers widely expect him to provide.

The legislation prohibits the dissemination of pro-LGBTQ+ content across media platforms, educational materials, advertising, and social networks. Violators face financial penalties of 150,000 Kazakh tenge (approximately $290) for first offenses and 300,000 tenge ($580) for subsequent infractions.

In language reminiscent of Russia’s so-called “gay propaganda” law, the Kazakh bill explicitly forbids “the use of media, literature, entertainment, and other events that promote non-traditional sexual relations and pedophilia.” This framing deliberately associates LGBTQ+ identities with child sexual abuse, a harmful stereotype frequently deployed to generate anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment.

Education Minister Gani Beisembayev defended the legislation before lawmakers, stating: “Children and teenagers are exposed to information online every day that can negatively impact their ideas about family, morality, and the future.” The bill’s proponents frame it as protecting traditional values and family structures.

The Senate vote was initially scheduled for December 4 but was delayed after Kazakhstani parliamentarians met with European Union Ambassador Aleshka Simkić on December 3. During this meeting, Simkić expressed serious concerns about the legislation, noting to local outlet Vlast: “We were contacted by the LGBT community, who are very concerned because they are already now seeing some intolerance issues.”

The timing of the postponement suggests possible diplomatic pressure, though it ultimately failed to derail the bill’s progress. Kazakhstan appears to be following a pattern seen across several former Soviet states and Eastern European nations, where similar restrictions on LGBTQ+ expression have been implemented.

Senator Ruslan Rustemov, supporting the legislation, referenced this trend, noting that “an analysis of international experience shows that many countries around the world have adopted legislation that ensures the protection of national values and traditions, including those that provide for the protection of the institution of the traditional family.” Beyond Russia, countries including Georgia and Hungary have enacted similar restrictions in recent years.

A coalition of seven international human rights organizations strongly condemned the bill in a joint statement: “If adopted, the proposed amendments to a draft law on archival affairs would violate fundamental human rights and increase the vulnerability of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, and other queer people (LGBTIQ+) in Kazakhstan.”

The organizations further emphasized that the legislation would “blatantly violate Kazakhstan’s international human rights commitments, including children’s rights to education, health, and information,” adding that “discriminatory and rights-violating provisions like those being proposed have no place in any democratic society, which Kazakhstan aspires to be.”

Kazakhstan, a predominantly Muslim nation of approximately 19 million people, does not criminalize homosexuality, unlike some of its Central Asian neighbors. However, its legal framework requires transgender individuals to undergo surgical procedures and sterilization before they can change gender markers on official documents.

The legislation represents a significant setback for LGBTQ+ rights in a region where such protections are already limited. Human rights advocates worry this could trigger increased discrimination and violence against sexual and gender minorities in Kazakhstan, potentially inspiring similar restrictive measures across Central Asia.

President Tokayev has signaled his intention to sign the bill into law, completing Kazakhstan’s alignment with Russia’s approach to restricting LGBTQ+ visibility and expression in public spaces.