The decree, signed Dec. 29 by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, empowers officials to ban transsexual and transgender people from driving, along with others suffering from such "mental disorders" as fetishism, exhibitionism, voyeurism, compulsive theft or "pathological" gambling, the BBC and Mashable reported Thursday. The new rule, which implements a law titled "On Road Safety," relies on the World Health Organization's most recent manual for classifying illnesses, formally known as the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, commonly called the ICD-10. It covers a wide range of conditions on the ICD-10's list of mental and behavioral disorders, including dementia, schizophrenia and mood disorders, but excludes others such as eating disorders, certain sleep disorders and nymphomania. The ICD-10 does not classify homosexuality as a "disorder of sexual preference," however, though someone who wishes to change their sexual orientation or gender identity "because of associated psychological and behavioural disorders" can be diagnosed as having a condition called "egodystonic sexual orientation." The Association of Russian Lawyers for Human Rights said the decree "demonstrates bias against certain individuals and groups of citizens, as well as significantly restricting the rights and freedoms of citizens as a whole."
– Russia is a dangerous place to drive, and authorities there seem to believe that getting transgender people off the roads will somehow make them safer. A new law tightens medical controls for drivers, and transgender people are among those classified with "disorders," meaning they can be refused driver's licenses, the BBC reports. Voyeurs, exhibitionists, fetishists, and others could also be banned under the law, which applies to people with "gender identity disorders, disorders of sexual preference, and psychological and behavioral disorders associated with sexual development and orientation," USA Today reports. People with schizophrenia and assorted "mood disorders" will also be banned from driving. Gays and lesbians will still be allowed on the road: "Sexual orientation by itself is not to be regarded as a disorder," the law states. Human rights groups have denounced the new law, which psychiatrists warn could prevent people from seeking help out of fear of being banned from driving. Russia's accident rate is more than four times that of the US at 55 fatalities per 100,000 vehicles a year, adding up to 28,000 deaths a year. Less controversially, the law also bans blind people from driving, reports BuzzFeed.