Driving Miss Daisy: Russia Bans Transsexual, Transgender, and Other People With “Disorders” From Driving
jonathanturley
Russia has imposed a bizarre new law that bars transsexual and transgender people from obtaining driving licenses. The Russian now also ban people found to have proclivities toward fetishism, exhibitionism, pathological gambling, compulsive stealing, and voyeurism as “mental disorders” incompatible with driving.
The Putin government has been widely denounced for its crackdown on homosexual rights as well as an array of other rights, including free speech.
There remains civil libertarians, lawyers, and doctors who actively right for civil liberties and these groups have denounced this latest abuse.
However, Alexander Kotov, head of the Professional Drivers Union, stood squarely in favor of arbitrary discrimination, insisting that “We have too many deaths on the road, and I believe toughening medical requirements for applicants is fully justified.” No one has explained why a transsexual would be more inclined to commit accidents than these drivers who presumably have the requisite gender clarity:
