The Russian government has updated the list of mental disorders that prevent you from obtaining or maintaining your driving license. Transsexuals and transgender people have been classified as having a mental illness, but there is more.
The controversy is installed in Russia after a new legislative change (in 2013, any type of behavior that did not promote “the traditional lifestyle” became illegal), this time to the rules for granting a driving license. Access to a driving license is now closed to transsexuals, transgender people, fetishists, voyeurs and exhibitionists. Compulsive gamblers and kleptomaniacs were also added to the list.
Accused of being discriminatory, the amendment has already received strong criticism from various sectors of Russian and international society. According to the BBC, Valery Evtushenko, from the Psychiatric Association of Russia, believes that this change will lead many to hide their problems, for fear of losing or not having access to a driving licence.
On the other hand, the Union of Professional Drivers of Russia supports the measure. Alexander Kotov, leader of the union, believes that this measure is justified as Russia has a very high death rate on the roads and that “increasing the allocation requirements is perfectly justifiable”. However, Kotov also argues that these requirements should not be too demanding for non-professional drivers.
Source: BBC