The Kazakh Senate announced that an anti-LGBTQ+ bill passed last month by the lower chamber of parliament would be postponed indefinitely. The bill would institute a series of amendments that ban “LGBTQ+ propaganda” in the media.

According to Reuters, the lower house voted unanimously in favour of the ban on November 12, sending it to the Senate. A signature from President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who has previously signed homophobic proposals, is also required for the bill to officially become law.

Despite expected support from Tokayev, the bill has been delayed by the Kazakh Senate. The Kazakh Telegraph Agency reported on the official statement from the Senate, which claimed that the anti-LGBTQ+ bill required more provisional amendments.

“It is important to note that the law introduces amendments and additions to the Labor Code of Kazakhstan as well as to 12 other laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan. This is a significant amount of work and requires additional time. Moreover, given that the law also regulates issues related to the protection of children’s rights, this is always a matter requiring special consideration and increased attention,” the Senate press service stated.

Although Kazakhstan is technically a secular nation with a Muslim-majority, the government is strongly conservative. It has consistently upheld anti-LGBTQ+ laws and labelled LGBTQ+ relations as harmful to “traditional” Kazakh values.

Kazakh Minister of Education Gani Beisembayev expressed her support for the anti-LGBTQ+ bill with a statement that read: “Children and teenagers are exposed to information online every day that can negatively impact their ideas about family, morality, and the future.”

If passed, the former Soviet nation would follow in the footsteps of Russia, which introduced a ban on “LGBTQ+ propaganda” in 2013. Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasised the importance of the measure to sustain “traditional values” in the country.

Although the anti-LGBTQ+ bill has been postponed for now, it is clear that the ban has support from the majority of the parliament and from Tokayev.

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