Senate of Kazakhstan Approves Ban on LGBTQ+ Propaganda Legislation

Kazakhstan Senate Approves Ban on LGBTQ+ “Propaganda” Despite International Criticism

Kazakhstan’s Senate has approved controversial legislation banning what lawmakers term as LGBTQ+ “propaganda,” specifically targeting “propaganda of non-traditional sexual orientation.” The bill, which passed on December 18, will now head to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s desk for final approval.

Senator Rustemov explained that the law prohibits “the use of media, literature, entertainment and other events that promote nontraditional sexual relations and pedophilia.” Individuals found violating these provisions could face significant fines and potential detention.

The legislation had previously cleared the lower chamber of parliament in November before being temporarily postponed by the Senate. Now with upper house approval, the bill awaits only the president’s signature to become law.

Human rights organizations have mounted immediate opposition to the measure. QUEER KZ, a local advocacy group, has called on international activists to contact their political representatives and Kazakhstani embassies to protest what they describe as “unjust laws.” Human Rights Watch researchers have specifically urged President Tokayev to veto the legislation, though they note the president has previously signed similar homophobic proposals into law.

Prior to the Senate vote, reports indicated that Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Culture had rejected a petition against the law filed by activist organizations, signaling the government’s determination to move forward despite opposition.

The international response has been swift and critical. In November, a coalition of human rights groups including Access Now and International Partnership for Human Rights publicly urged Kazakhstani lawmakers to reject the ban. Human Rights Watch warned that the proposed legislation would “violate fundamental human rights and increase the vulnerability of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, and other queer people (LGBTIQ+) in Kazakhstan.”

The rights organization further cautioned that the ban would “blatantly violate Kazakhstan’s international human rights commitments, including children’s rights to education, health, and information.” This assessment directly contradicts the government’s positioning of the law as protective of children.

Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director offered a pointed rebuke of the legislation’s framing, stating that “banning so-called ‘LGBTQ+ propaganda’ is not about protecting children, it’s about institutionalising stigma, fear and censorship.”

The legislation emerges amid broader concerns about LGBTQ+ rights in Kazakhstan. Earlier this year, the UN Committee against Torture specifically highlighted issues of “violence against individuals on the basis of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity” in the Central Asian nation.

The move places Kazakhstan in the company of other post-Soviet states that have enacted similar restrictions, most notably Russia, which passed a sweeping “gay propaganda” law in 2013 that was later expanded. Human rights advocates warn that such laws not only restrict freedom of expression but can lead to increased discrimination and violence against LGBTQ+ individuals.

Kazakhstan, Central Asia’s largest economy, has positioned itself internationally as modernizing and open to Western investment. This legislation raises questions about the country’s commitment to international human rights standards and could potentially impact its relationships with Western partners who have increasingly incorporated LGBTQ+ rights into their foreign policy frameworks.

For Kazakhstan’s LGBTQ+ community, already facing significant societal discrimination, the law represents a formal codification of prejudice that could further marginalize an already vulnerable population and restrict their access to information, support, and representation in public spaces.