How Discussion of Petition against LGBT Propaganda Went

Astana hosted a meeting last week to discuss the petition against LGBT propaganda. The Ministry of Culture and Information proposed partially satisfying its demands. This preliminary decision will also be discussed. 

"Foreign Agents and Revolutionaries"

The author of the petition, Bagila Baltabayeva, is certain that LGBT+ people are the cause of almost all the troubles in Kazakhstan, from demographic problems to crimes against children. She believes that LGBT+ persons could eventually cause Kazakhs to disappear as a nation.

Today's little child can become the leader of the country tomorrow. And today, these eight- and nine-year-old girls who go to rallies say, 'My vagina is my business,' 'Down with the patriarchy, let's have a revolution.' They are directly calling for a revolution, these little girls. In two or three generations, what kind of people will run our country?Bagila Baltabayeva told journalists on the meeting's sidelines. 

She also condemned the women's liberation movement in Iran and believes that feminism is the reason for women's decision to assert their rights.

And as a result of feminism, these women who were lying next to their men, at the side of their men, rose up against their parents, their children, and went to participate in this revolution, which lasted for two and a half months, she added.

Other participants supported her point of view. For example, Askar Iklas believes that LGBT+ people are in Kazakhstan due to Western influence. 

This bourgeois ideology of liberal outflow has already taken root among us. My position is to ban foreign agents, the young man thinks.

Retired MIA employee Kanagat Shumenova believes that Kazakhstani land “will be torn apart by the West.” 

We have no right for LGBT to exist in Kazakhstan at all. We are against LGBT; we do not need LGBT. Because of them, instead of 20 million, in two or three years, we will have 10-15 million because same-sex marriages will not increase the population. This is a matter of national security, said Kanagat Shumenova.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs believes that it is necessary to limit not only the propaganda of LGBT+ but also the propaganda of free sexual relations, as it affects the statistics of crimes against minors. The Ministry of Education also expressed support.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs's statistics, in 2024 alone, 45% of all crimes against the sexual integrity of minors are committed by people from their close circle. About 30% of offenses against the sexual integrity of minors are committed by minors. 

This shows that children are left to themselves, and in the Internet space, they have unlimited access to various content. They watch films, television, and so on, where there is a flow of information everywhere, including about free sexual relations. We believe that this affects, among other things, the perception of these relations and the psyche of children, and then, when they grow up, their psyche as adults,said the Deputy Chair of the Administrative Police Committee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Renat Zulkhairov. 

Gender Identity Cannot Be Banned

Opponents of the petition faced constant interruptions. Human rights activist Yevgeny Zhovtis resolutely condemned the petition. He noted that the authors of the petition were using children and families as a guise, calling LGBT+ persons a threat to the nation. Such hostile rhetoric, according to Zhovtis, is nothing more than part of political populists' standard arsenal.

The petition violates human rights and creates a hostile environment where discrimination and even violence occur; it is based on false information and the myth that a person's gender identity can be changed under the influence of propaganda or prohibitions. Sexual orientation is not a mental health condition; it cannot be promoted because it is a biological characteristic, like eye shape or hair color. Gender identity cannot be prohibited - these are genetic factors and factors of prenatal development, and no one can influence this, said Evgeny Zhovtis.

Shouts from the audience accompanied the second part of his speech. 

Unwavering, sociologist Kamila Kovyazina also spoke. The sociologist does not understand how LGBT propaganda will be defined. 

If a young person admits that they are gay or lesbian, he immediately receives threats, including from you, from aksakals, respected people, who say: 'We will kill you, burn you, these children should not live.' 25-75% of transgender people are forced to engage in sex work because they have nowhere else to work. They are constantly bullied, cannot get an education; they are kicked out of their homes. People like you are kicking them out of their homes. (...) I am a mother of two children, and I do not want our children to be unaware of where to find information that they are normal. They should not kill themselves because they are not accepted. I want my children to have the right to find this information. As a mother, I want them to be alive first and foremost, said Kamila Kovyazina.

Meanwhile, medical expert and blogger Daniyar Kaliyev recalled the situation in Russia:

How did it all end? With war, a considerable number of deaths, and the fact that Russia is a pariah state today. Accepting this petition threatens the sovereignty of our country because we will slowly begin to fall into the orbit of Russia's influence, and I would not like that; we are Kazakhs; we must be free and independent. I understand why the government supports such an initiative. Because the next step is a ban on public organizations, then freedom of speech, ultimately, we will end up arresting artists and actors for their free point of view, said Daniyar Kaliyev.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not support the petition, recalling that Kazakhstan is a party to fundamental international human rights conventions, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights.

They have been ratified and have priority over national legislation. And the said documents provide for equal rights and opportunities for absolutely all citizens without any exceptions or restrictions. In this regard, as has been repeatedly noted, the Republic of Kazakhstan is committed to ensuring human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with international norms and principles. All citizens are equal before the law and have the right to equal protection without any discrimination,
 said Deputy Director of the Department of Multilateral Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Azamat Ayap.

Minister of Culture and Information Aida Balayeva also spoke about the petition against LGBT propaganda on Facebook.

Balayeva noted that the working group had done extensive work, including a comparative legal analysis of national and international regulatory legal acts and a study of international experience. The Minister believes that the working group considered all the opinions, proposals, and arguments expressed by international and Kazakhstani non-governmental organizations. 

Research and discussions have shown that we must now continue extensive work in this direction, thoroughly study the matter, and develop actual mechanisms for its regulation. This will take time. However, the position of the Ministry of Culture and Information partially supports the petition in terms of protecting the rights and ensuring the safety of minors. Against the backdrop of an increase in crimes against the sexual integrity of children, the requirement to protect and shield teenagers and children from propaganda, the cultivation of sexual relations, including non-traditional ones, is relevant and necessary, Aida Balayeva said on Facebook.

Children should develop in a safe information space, the minister emphasized.

Our generational duty is to give them the proper spiritual and moral guidelines, cultivate traditional family values ​​in them, create conditions for commitment to the national cultural heritage and the preservation of their genetic code, she added.

"I Don't Want Laws Passed under Pressure"

Lawyer and PhD Khalida Azhigulova wrote on her Facebook page that in a civilized, developed society, laws cannot be passed because someone “just wanted to.” Even more so, discriminatory laws against a particular social group cannot be passed because “someone just doesn’t like them” or “Doesn’t like looking at them.”

Otherwise, if we ban the visibility of the LGBT community today, there is no guarantee that later there will not be demands to ban other minorities – social (for example, people with mental diagnoses and disabilities), ideological, ethnic, religious, and others,Khalida Azhigulova wrote.

She considers the petition authors' arguments to be faulty and illogical.

If our children really "turned into LGBT persons" because of alleged propaganda, then where is the scientific research that substantiates why someone "turns into an LGBT person" and another 'does not'? Because there is no research with such conclusions! Because it has been scientifically proven that no 'LGBT propaganda' can 'turn a child/teenager into an LGBT person.' Therefore, the authors and supporters of the petition base their speeches only on their subjective opinions and emotions. But is this how laws should be passed in our democratic, legal state?! I do not want laws to be passed in Kazakhstan under the pressure of obscurantism, homophobia, and xenophobia. Kazakhstan should be a civilized country, a country of science, scientists, progress, and respect for human rights, she added.

Khalida Azhigulova emphasized that LGBT+ Kazakhstanis are law-abiding citizens who work, pay taxes, and deserve to be respected.

The final decision on the petition will be made on August 6.

Original Author: Zhadra Zhulmukhametova

DISCLAIMER: This is a translated piece. The text has been modified, the content is the same. For accuracy, please refer to the original article published on 01/08/24. The text has been updated to reflect the current situation as of 05/08/24.