9 Jan 2015

Russia bans transsexuals from driving

12:02 pm on 9 January 2015

The Russian government has imposed sex rules on drivers, classifying transsexual and transgender people as no longer fit to drive.

The government said it was tightening medical controls for drivers because Russia has too many road accidents.

Radio New Zealand's correspondent with Feature Story News Tom Barton reported that Russia had now classified fetishism, voyeurism, and exhibitionism as mental disorders, and people deemed as having them were barred from driving.

The list also included so-called pathological gambling and compulsive stealing.

Mr Barton reported Russian psychiatrists and human rights lawyers said the move was discriminatory and these characteristics did not affect a person's ability to drive.

The announcement followed international complaints of Russian harassment of gay rights activists.

In 2013 Russia passed a "anti-gay propaganda" law banning what the government called the "promoting of non-traditional lifestyles".

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