Kazakh lawmakers push ban on LGBT ‘propaganda’ to protect children
Promoting LGBT-related content that does not amount to a criminal offense would be punishable under the Code of Administrative Offense
ASTANA, Kazakhstan (MNTV) — Lawmakers in Kazakhstan are advancing legislation that would ban the open promotion of ‘LGBT rights’, non-traditional sexual orientations and relationships on social media and the internet, a move they say is intended to protect children’s moral well-being.
Majilis Deputy (member of the parliament) Natalia Dementieva said the proposed amendments reflect public concern over “attempts to impose alien family values” on young people.
She emphasized that the initiative is not directed against individuals but against the excessive public display of “non-traditional values.”
Under the amendments, promoting LGBT-related content that does not amount to a criminal offense would be punishable under the Code of Administrative Offenses, with fines of up to 20 MCI (78,640 tenge, about $165).
Repeat violations within a year could lead to fines of 40 MCI (157,280 tenge, about $330) or administrative detention of up to ten days.
Deputy Yelnur Beisenbayev said “[LGBT] propaganda” is defined as the dissemination of information about non-traditional sexual orientation “to shape positive public opinion.”
Several deputies voiced strong support for the measure, arguing that it protects children and national values.
MP Anas Bakkozhayev went further, suggesting the Constitution explicitly states that Kazakhstan “does not recognize LGBT people,” while Edil Zhanbyrshin said the ban targets only “propaganda,” not personal freedoms.
Critics of the proposal were heard but excluded from the working group, and their input was not considered in the final vote, according to local media.
The draft amendments will next be submitted to a full session of the Majilis, the lower house of parliament, for debate and possible approval.
The move follows years of debate in Kazakhstan over regulating LGBT-related content. In 2024, similar proposals were excluded from the country’s new media law, but a public petition last August calling for restrictions on LGBT “propaganda” gathered more than 50,000 signatures, prompting the government to partially support its demands.
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