Deputy Demands Ban on Gender-Affirming Surgery in Kazakhstan

Magerram Magerramov, leader of the People’s Party of Kazakhstan faction, has called for individuals with gender dysphoria to be classified as mentally ill and for gender-affirming surgery to be banned, Orda.kz reports.

During a Majilis meeting, Magerramov read a formal request addressed to Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov. He referenced “values alien to our culture” and questioned whether people with gender dysphoria should have the right to make decisions about their bodies and undergo gender-affirming procedures.

Given our country’s rich history, the identity preserved by our ancestors, and the cultural and traditional values we’ve inherited, we must ask whether allowing individuals with gender dysphoria to change their gender is acceptable, Magerramov stated.

The very term ‘gender dysphoria’ already suggests the presence of a disorder. Since these individuals have no physical abnormalities, it’s logical to assume the issue lies in either their psyche or behavior, he argued.

Magerramov went on to say that hormonal and surgical interventions on “a healthy body” in cases of what he described as “mental and/or behavioral disorders” cannot be justified.

He also claimed that gender-affirming surgery does not improve the health of individuals diagnosed with gender dysphoria.

You cannot alter the body to match the distorted reality perceived by someone with this ‘disorder.’ Allowing such manipulations expands the limits of what is permissible for destructive individuals whose desires are driven by ideas incompatible with our culture,he stated. 

The People’s Party of Kazakhstan faction is now requesting a detailed report on the number of Kazakhstanis who have undergone gender reassignment, as well as the legal framework surrounding the procedure.

How many gender-affirming surgery operations have been performed? How many individuals later sought to reverse their transition? How many have applied for a gender-affirming surgery today? Do such procedures contradict the core medical principle of ‘do no harm’ and threaten the moral health of the nation? The People’s Party of Kazakhstan faction demands an immediate ban on these procedures before any changes to legislation that would legalize them, Magerramov said.

Magerramov has previously protested against what he called the "financing of an ideology imposed on us under the guise of human rights.”

Original Author: Anastasia Prilepskaya