Kazakhstan’s lower house of parliament, the Mazhilis, passed a set of amendments on Nov. 12 banning what it calls “LGBT propaganda,” according to a report by local outlet Tengri News. The changes affect nine existing laws, including those on child rights, advertising, communications, culture, education, cinema, media, and online platforms.
The amendments introduce the concept of “propaganda of nontraditional orientation” and prohibit its dissemination in the media, online, and through telecommunications channels. The penalties for violating the restrictions have not yet been announced.
The ban will take effect once the law is approved by the Senate and signed by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. In March, Tokayev said that “many countries have been subjected to LGBT propaganda for decades”as part of an alleged scheme to “steal billions of dollars from [national] budgets.”
Artur Alkhastov, a lawyer with the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights, told The Insider that the Mazhilis initiative mirrors Russia’s law banning “LGBT propaganda”:
“There’s the same ‘countering propaganda’ language and vague wording that allows arbitrary enforcement. Despite deputies claiming they are only protecting children and not violating LGBT people’s rights, the actual provisions directly restrict freedom of speech and peaceful assembly for members of the LGBT community and for human rights defenders working on these issues.
Now even making reasoned statements that nature made us different and that this is normal will be illegal. I recall how some Astana officials were extremely anxious that no rainbow flags or LGBT discussions appear at a rally against gender-based violence. The organizer then firmly said she wouldn’t be tearing flags from anyone’s hands. Now, carrying a rainbow flag at a rally would be an offense.”
Ahead of the vote, the bill was criticized by seven international human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch and the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights. They said the amendments violate fundamental human rights, including children’s rights to education, health, and access to information, while increasing the vulnerability of LGBT+ people in Kazakhstan.
The country’s campaign against so-called “LGBT propaganda” began in 2024. Lawmakers initially proposed adding the measure to a bill on mass media, but it was omitted from the final version. There were also discussions about introducing criminal liability for “promoting nontraditional relations.” In the summer of 2024, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Culture and Information announced that it would review a petition “against open and hidden LGBT propaganda” that had gathered more than 50,000 signatures. Debates over restricting queer content resumed in October 2025, when the ban was added to a bill on archival policy.
In February 2024, Kazakhstan blocked Selftanu.kz, a website for queer teenagers created by sex educator Sasha Kazantseva. The site offered advice on finding emotional support, communicating with parents, and building relationships. The blocking followed DDoS attacks and threats against the project’s authors. The Ministry of Culture justified the decision by claiming the website “contained content of a special sexual and erotic nature.”