Kazakhstan's First Case Involving “LGBT Propaganda” Goes to Court

A Kazakhstani activist group has petitioned a court in Astana to open legal proceedings against the ministry of culture, following the ministry’s alleged decision to block a website created by the group to spread personal, psychological, and legal advice to the country’s LGBTQ+ community.

reQUEst, the group behind the suit, announced via social media on June 1 that the court hearings are set to take place on June 8.

The website, lgbtpropaganda.kz, alongside with an instagram page of the same name, was launched on March 2, the day after the controversial package of legal amendments collectively known as the “anti-LGBT propaganda law” came into force.

In the days after the website was set up, reQUEst said it faced pressure from the authorities to take it down. Since March 30, the website has been unavailable to users in Kazakhstan.

According to reQUEst, the ministry of culture and information told the activist group on April 21 that the website had been blocked in Kazakhstan in relation to “propaganda of non-traditional sexual orientation,” without providing further explanation.

The group says its court filing requests a detailed detailed explanation of the government’s actions, and that the lgbtpropaganda.kz website be unblocked .

Should the case go to trial, it would be the first time that the “anti-LGBT propaganda law” is applied in Kazakhstan.

Critics of the legal amendments have repeatedly noted that so-called “LGBT propaganda” is in itself a misconception. We previously surveyed the opinion of professionals in the performing arts towards the changes in the legislation.

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