Kazakhstan has abruptly pressed pause on a sweeping anti-LGBTQ+ bill, just one month after the lower chamber of parliament voted to ban so-called LGBTQ+ propaganda. The legislation, modeled on Russia’s notorious restrictions, threatened fines and even jail time for anyone accused of sharing pro-LGBTQ messages online or in the media. Supporters framed the bill as a child-protection measure. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev had pushed hard for the measure in the name of traditional values.
Education Minister Gani Beisembayev told lawmakers, “Children and teenagers are exposed to information online every day that can negatively impact their ideas about family, morality, and the future.” Deputy Irina Smirnova went further, warning about books that promote queer relations and cartoons, magazines, and comics, where this is promoted. But last week, the Kazakh Senate unexpectedly tabled the proposal, announcing that consideration of the bill has been postponed to later dates, citing the extensive legal changes involved and the need for special consideration. Though homosexuality is legal in Kazakhstan, queer people remain unprotected by anti-discrimination laws in the socially conservative nation.
