A decree Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed on Dec. 29 appears to ban transgender people from driving cars, along with others diagnosed with a long list of “disorders of sexual preference.”
The provision is part of a broad document outlining the medical conditions that disqualify people from driving. Most of these are physical impairments, including the loss of both legs or blindness. But it also references a set of “mental and behavioral disorders” as defined by the World Health Organization, which include “gender identity disorders” such as “transsexualism” and “dual-role transvestism.” The order also encompasses “disorders of sexual preference,” including “sadomasochism,” “paedophilia,” and “exhibitionism.”