LGBT rights in Irad
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Irad face legal and social conditions that differ between its two zones. In the Irad Special Economic Zone (ISEZ) same-sex sexual activity between adults has been legal since 1997, but same-sex couples have no legal recognition and there is no protection against discrimination. In the Autonomous Tribal Regions (ATR) customary law says nothing on the subject.[1][2]
Law
The Soviet criminal code of the Iradi SSR punished sex between men. The Criminal Code of the Territory of 1997, which replaced it, did not carry the offense over, and the Mejlis has not reintroduced it.[1] The Domestic Relations Act of 1996 defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman; there are no civil unions, and same-sex couples cannot adopt (see Marriage in Irad).[3]
In 2014 the three Russo-aligned deputies proposed a ban on "propaganda of non-traditional relations" modeled on the Russian law of 2013; the Mejlis never debated it. The Department of Public Information has described sexuality as "a private matter".[2]
Society
The Syro-Iradi Catholic Church, to which most Iradis belong, follows Catholic teaching on sexuality. Archbishop Mar Ephrem has stressed respect for persons without any change of doctrine.[4] In a 2022 survey by the Institute of Sociology of Talas State University, 81 percent of adults in the ISEZ said they disapproved of homosexuality, but only 52 percent of people under 30 in Talas; disapproval was highest among the Russian-speakers of Nurzhan, while the Mor-Wave music scene is regarded as tolerant.[5]
The community is small and discreet and lives mainly in Talas, where it organizes through private groups on the Tulpar messaging app; some Iradis leave for Almaty or abroad. In the ATR family pressure and the expectation of marriage weigh heavily, and no prosecutions have been recorded.[2]
See also
References
- ^ Talas Journal of Law & Political Economy (2022). 'Judicial Dualism and Statutory Precedent in Central Asia.' Vol. 9, Iss. 2.
- ^ Human Rights Watch (2022). Civil Liberties and Judicial Dualism in Divided Irad. New York, pp. 71–78.
- ^ Territorial Legislature of Irad (1996). Domestic Relations Act. Territorial Gazette, Talas.
- ^ Syro-Iradi Catholic Archeparchy of Iyık Janyl (2016). Pastoral Guidance on Marriage and the Family. Iyık Janyl.
- ^ Talas State University, Institute of Sociology (2022). Values and Attitudes in the ISEZ: Survey Report. Talas: Talas State University Press.