Rights groups blast Russian law banning transgender people from driving

A new Russian regulation denying transgender people the right to drive has drawn condemnation from human rights activists and members of LGBT community.

The decree, signed by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev at the end of 2014 and published on the Russian government website on 29 December, lists illnesses that disqualify people from operating motor vehicles or obtaining driver's licences.

The legislation contains broad classes of psychiatric disorders, behavioural disorders, nervous system and eye illnesses that are included in a section of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) published by the World Health Organization.

Although the decree does not explicitly ban transgender people from driving, it has attracted extensive attention from human rights activists because it includes gender identity disorders such as transsexualism, dual role transvestism, and voyeurism.

"You see certain categories that were included that appear to be, well, that appear to have nothing to do with road safety whatsoever. Say, gamblers, for example, what does gambling have to do with road safety? Or voyeurism, what does it have to do with road safety? Nothing," said Tatyana Lokshina, head of the Human Rights Watch in Russia.

"They were probably included by mistake. And we really do not find the list appropriate. So we would definitely want the Russian government to reconsider, we would definitely want the Russian government to look into it again."

She said the decree had caused concerns amongst the LGBT community.

She added: "Transgender people, LGBT people are reading about it in the press, reading about it online, and thinking that they just got a driving ban. And those people are really quite concerned."