STOP LIGHT

Russia Bans Transgender People From Having Drivers Licenses

drivingIn its continuing quest to prove that logic dies when it crosses the country’s border, Russia has now decreed that transgender people are no longer entitled to drivers licenses. The government decided that people with “sex disorders,’ including voyeurism and fetishism, constitute a grave threat to traffic safety.

Which begs the question of how Russian officials have compiled information about drivers involved in accidents.

In fact, the move seems motivated by nothing more than good old Russian transphobia, which often takes a violent turn. In a bit of a surprise, however, the government didn’t define “sex disorders” to include homosexuality. However, the government did extend the ban to other “disorders,” such as pathological gambling and compulsive stealing, highlighting yet again the government’s feeble understanding of the connection between driving skills and human behavior.

The real driving threat in Russia comes from drunk driving, with more than 590,000 cases reported in 2013. The government has been cracking down on drunk driving but still wildly underestimates the number of deaths it causes. 

From the government’s perspective, the new ruing is a winner. Not only does it mean the government can avoid addressing the rampant alcoholism in Russia, but it can demonize transgender people at the same time.

 

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