In a move that has sparked significant controversy, Kazakhstan’s lower house of parliament approved legislation Wednesday banning what authorities describe as “propaganda” of LGBTQ+ relationships. The bill has drawn sharp criticism from human rights organizations, who warn it poses serious threats to the country’s LGBTQ+ community.

According to an online statement from the parliamentary body, the legislation aims to “protect children from content harmful to their health and development.” Specifically, it prohibits the “dissemination of information containing propaganda of pedophilia and/or non-traditional sexual orientation” through public channels, media, telecommunications, and online platforms.

Deputy Culture Minister Evgeny Kochetov clarified to local media that “public endorsement” of LGBTQ+ identities would constitute prohibited “propaganda” under the new law. “Calls to the effect that being an LGBT person is better than being a heterosexual person will be banned,” Kochetov told the Orda.Kz news outlet. He added that any LGBTQ+-related content that doesn’t contain what authorities deem as “propaganda” would receive an 18+ rating.

Violations of the proposed law would carry severe penalties, including substantial fines or jail time for offenders.

The legislation now awaits approval from Kazakhstan’s Senate before being submitted to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev for final signature. Tokayev, who recently met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, has repeatedly emphasized the necessity of upholding “traditional values” in the Central Asian republic of 19 million people.

This legislative move mirrors similar developments in neighboring Russia, where “traditional family values” have become a cornerstone of Putin’s 25-year rule. Russia has enacted numerous laws in recent years that have significantly restricted LGBTQ+ rights, creating a regional pattern of increasing legal hostility toward sexual minorities.

Rights advocates have mounted strong opposition to the bill. The Kazakhstani LGBTQ+ organization Queer.KZ urged the Senate and President Tokayev to reject the measure, declaring in an online statement that “Our fight continues.”

Human Rights Watch, in conjunction with six other international human rights groups, issued a joint statement warning that adopting the bill “would violate fundamental human rights and increase the vulnerability of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, and other queer people (LGBTIQ+) in Kazakhstan.”

Kazakhstan’s relationship with LGBTQ+ rights has been complex. The country decriminalized homosexuality in 1998 and has permitted transgender people to change their gender marker in official documents since 2003. However, same-sex marriages remain prohibited in the predominantly Muslim nation, which maintains largely conservative social attitudes.

The lack of explicit anti-discrimination protections based on gender identity or sexual orientation has left the LGBTQ+ community vulnerable. Human Rights Watch notes that LGBTQ+ individuals in Kazakhstan frequently face “assaults, threats, blackmail, and extortion by law enforcement officers and nonstate actors, as well as discrimination.”

This legislation represents a significant setback for Kazakhstan’s human rights record at a time when the country has been attempting to position itself as a modernizing force in Central Asia. Critics argue that the law not only threatens the safety and well-being of LGBTQ+ citizens but also signals a concerning shift toward more authoritarian governance models that restrict civil liberties.

The bill’s progression comes amid a broader regional trend of increasing restrictions on LGBTQ+ rights across parts of the former Soviet Union and Central Asia, raising concerns among international observers about deteriorating human rights standards in the region.

As Kazakhstan’s Senate prepares to consider the legislation, rights advocates continue to call for its rejection, arguing that true child protection measures should focus on education and support rather than restricting fundamental rights.