Russia has banned several groups of people from driving, based on what it calls medical controls. Transsexual people are considered to have a mental disorder under the law and will be disqualified from getting a driver’s licence.
Other groups forbidden from driving include ‘pathological’ gamblers and liars as well as those considered to suffer from voyeurism, fetishism and exhibitionism. Russia has introduced increasingly oppressive laws about sexuality in the last few years, banning what it calls ‘gay propaganda’.
Lawyers, human rights advocates and psychiatrists have criticised the new law, saying it will discourage people from seeking psychological help for fear of losing their driving licence, which they may depend on for work.