Belarus Accused of Drafting Anti-LGBTQ+ Legislation

Facts

• Belarus has produced a draft law that would, if implemented, punish the 'promotion of non-traditional relationships,' state media claimed on Monday.¹
• According to the country's Prosecutor General, Andrei Shved, the lawmakers' bill would establish 'administrative liability' for promoting 'abnormal relationships, pedophilia, and the voluntary refusal to have children.'²
• The term 'abnormal relationships' included in the proposed legislation — which is currently undergoing approval procedures — reportedly encompass LGBTQ+ relationships, characterized as non-traditional.³
• Though homosexuality was decriminalized in the country in 1994, Belarus doesn't recognize same-sex marriages and has reportedly cracked down on pride parades. Last year, Pres. Alexander Lukashenko publicly mocked the LGBTQ+ community, calling gays 'perverts.'⁴
• Belarus's proposed legislation bears resemblance to neighboring Russia's anti-gay propaganda law, which effectively outlaws public expression of LGBTQ+ identity. In 2023, Russia's Supreme Court banned the 'international LGBT social movement,' designating it a terrorist organization.⁵

Sources: ¹Phile, ²JURIST, ³BNN, ⁴US News & World Report and ⁵www.reuters.com.

Narratives

• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by www.tvr.by. In a modern world where morals seem to degrade daily, Belarus is doing its best to hold on to traditional family values and protect the orthodox principles that have sustained the country for centuries. This proposed law will protect Belarusian society from destructive Western ideologies.
• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by POLITICO. This legislation reveals a deeply ingrained, increasingly hostile bias against the LGBTQ+ community. By targeting the freedom of expression and the rights of LGBTQ+ citizens, the Belarusian government is aiming to silence an already marginalized community and enforce conformity to state-sanctioned norms of behavior and family structures.

Predictions