Parliament in Belarus approved a bill on Thursday that introduces penalties for promoting LGBTQ+ rights, aligning with restrictions already in place in neighboring Russia. The upper house finalized the legislation after the lower house passed it last month, and it now awaits the signature of President Aliaksandr Lukashenka, expected to enact it into law. The bill criminalizes "propaganda of homosexual relations, gender change, refusal to have children and paedophilia," with violations punishable by fines, community service and up to 15 days in detention. While homosexuality was decriminalized in Belarus in 1994, the country does not recognize same-sex marriages and offers no legal protections for LGBTQ+ individuals.
Lukashenka, who has led Belarus for over 30 years with an authoritarian grip, has a history of publicly mocking homosexuality. The country faces ongoing Western sanctions for human rights abuses and for permitting Russia's use of Belarusian territory in its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. LGBTQ+ organizations in Belarus have been forcibly shut down, and security forces have repeatedly raided nightclubs to disrupt private gatherings. The KGB, retaining its Soviet-era name, has been accused of blackmailing LGBTQ+ individuals to coerce their cooperation.
Alisa Sarmant, head of TG House, a transgender rights group, warned that the new law provides legal cover for further repression. "LGBTQ+ people had faced beatings, arrests, persecution and mockery even before the bill's approval, but now law enforcement agencies have received legal grounds for repressions," she stated. TG House has recorded at least 12 cases of persecution in the past three months, including a recent police raid on a Minsk nightclub during a private gay party. Sarmant also expressed concerns that transgender individuals may be denied access to essential medications under the new law. The group has received hundreds of requests for psychological support and assistance in relocating abroad.
Belarus is following Russia's lead, where changing gender markers on documents, gender-affirming care and public LGBTQ+ representation are banned. Russia has also classified the LGBTQ+ movement as extremist, with penalties including up to six years in prison for involvement.
The bill now heads to Lukashenka for final approval, after which it will take effect immediately.
When Lukashenka's government labels LGBTQ+ advocacy alongside paedophilia, that means the state has weaponized stigma—turning consenting adults into criminals while the real predators go unchecked. Sarmant's warning about legalized repression isn't hyperbole; it's a preview of how laws like this normalize violence under the guise of morality. The fact that Belarus is copying Russia's playbook shows how authoritarian regimes export oppression as policy, not ideology. For LGBTQ+ communities across Africa watching this unfold, the lesson is clear: once the state brands you an enemy, there's no legal shield left.
