Kazakhstan moves to ban “gay propaganda”, claims blood test for “degeneratism”

KAZAKHSTAN is making moves to introduce Russian-style gay propaganda laws, with the leader of one political party claiming a blood test for “degeneratism” could be used to identify gay people.

The leader of Kazakh nationalist movement Bolashak (or “future”) Dauren Babamuratov made the claim at a press conference calling on lawmakers to amend the country’s Marriage and Family Code to also ban gay people from serving in the army or holding public office, reports Tengri News.

As “evidence” of gay propaganda Babamuratov pointed to stories about LGBT people in Kazakh media and reports of numerous gay bars in Almaty, the country’s largest city, which he claimed “made Almaty the gay capital of Central Asia”.

“I think it is very easy to identify a gay person by his or her DNA. A blood test can show the presence of degeneratism in a person,” he said.

“We have stooped so low that LGBTs no longer hide their orientation. One can see a lot of people in the city’s malls and other public places — these are young people in coloured pants. This means they no longer hide their (sexual) orientation.”

Kazakhstan already bans gay adoption, and while homosexuality is not illegal, LGBTI people in Kazakhstan face significant discrimination and harassment.

Bolashak’s positions were supported by the minor Communist People’s Party of Kazakhstan, with party secretary Yelnur Beisenbayev saying gay people were “criminals”.

Beisenbayev called for a reinstatement of the country’s anti-sodomy laws, overturned in 1998.

Kazakh activist and journalist Zhanar Sekerbayeva has spoken out against Bolashak’s anti-gay rhetoric, saying corruption and unemployment were far more pressing issues for Kazakhstan.