Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Unit 7 - Illegal to drive Transgender?

Evoking comparisons to Saudi Arabia's policies against women, back in January the Russian government listed transgender and transexual people among those who would have their driving privileges revoked for "mental disorders" and specifically "sex disorders".

This move was supported by the Professional Drivers Union who wanted to crack down on the numbers of deaths on the road by eliminating those with "serious medical conditions."

BBC - Russia says drivers must not have " sex disorders"

After pressure from the international community and the World Health Organization, Russia ultimately rescinded their implication and specified that only those suffering prolonged health and mental conditions would be banned from driving, giving transgender persons the green light to stay on the road.

Reuters - Russia gives green light for transgender drivers to stay on the road

This is just one more notch in the fervent anti-LGBTQ sentiment that has been building in Russia in recent years. As a transgender American woman, I know I won't be visiting Russia anytime soon, if ever. Which is really a shame because there is much about Russian culture, history, art, and food that I really like and enjoy.

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