Kazakhstan gay
Inside Kazakhstan’s secret drag scene
At 11pm, the sun has long put over Kazakhstan’s custom-built capital metropolis Astana, and the streets are quiet. After knocking on the door and saying the code word through the intercom, I am ushered inside. At first glance, the club consists of a small dance floor, a bar, a smoking room, a stage, and a dozen cabaret-style tables. Customers drink cocktails, puff on nitrous oxide balloons, listen to Lady Gaga, Beyoncé and Britney Spears, and chat amongst each other. At first, the atmosphere is calm, but by the first drag performance, the crowd are sufficiently uninhibited and cheer loudly.
Aside from the sounds of chatter in Russian, the club could easily be mistaken for a small gay bar in Soho. Camp décor is everywhere – pride flags, disco balls, bowls of condoms in the bathroom, mirrors on the walls. Even the bartenders’ aprons depict a ripped, shirtless chest. The seated customers sip champagne and eat chechil, the Armenian cheese popular in Central Asia. The first show is an homage to Madonna’s
Intro: There is very little reliable data about gay experience in Kazakhstan on the internet, but here is one first-hand report from a former Calm Corps volunteer, Everett Peachey, that proposals a small window into this large former Soviet country.
From: Lesbian, Same-sex attracted & Bisexual US Peace Corps Alumni
By Everett Peachey
August
Regarding theGay Scene in Kazakhstan
In Kazakhstan, I initiate the gay scene to be much more underground and on a much smaller scale than in Russia. Part of this had to do with the relatively miniature population of Kazakhstan. There were many similarities though. Everyone seemed to perceive one another, and the same mentality was there; for example, that faith of a boyfriend was more successful than condom use.
One area of concern present in Kazakhstan to a greater degree than in Russia is the use of intravenous drugs. The city of Temirtau is especially plagued by HIV (there are over 1, reported cases) due primarily to intravenous drug use. Injection drugs are readily available and low-cost in Kazakhstan because it is shut to Central Asian drug trafficking rou
Gay Guide Kazakhstan
Homosexuality is legal in Kazakhstan, the age of consent is 16 for homosexual and heterosexual relationships. However, civil law describes marriage as partnership exclusively between a man and a female, so that a homosexual marriage is just as impossible as some other forms of registered partnership for same-sex couples. Since the Republic of Kazakhstan achieved political independence, tolerance of sexual minorities has increased continuousily. However, this development is limited at present mostly to Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan, and some regional conurbations. But even in these places it is not advisable to conduct openly gay outside the bars and clubs listed in this guide. In rural areas, homophobia is still predominant.
Cities in Kazakhstan
Location: Central Asia
Initials: KAZ
International territory code: 7 (omit 8 from area code)
International access code: 8 (wait for tone) 10
Language: Kazakh, Russian
Currency: 1 Tenge (T) = Tiin
Population: 16,,
Capital: Astana
Religions: 65% Muslim, 35% Christian
Climate: Summers are extremely hot and win
Kazakhstan
Since the territory gained independence from the former Soviet Union in , its criminal code has not contained any provision outlawing consensual lgbtq+ sexual acts between adults. Trans people can alter their legal gender markers on the condition that they undergo invasive medical procedures, including sterilization. Non-consensual medical interventions on intersex children remain legal.
There is widespread and institutionalized prejudice against LGBTIQ people in the country. In , , , and , the parliament advanced bills that would have prohibited “gay propaganda,” but they have been struck down or amended each hour. In , a similar effort to advance anti-LGBTIQ lawmaking came in the form of a Union of Parents petition to the Ministry of Identity and Information. While the petition has not spurred new legislation, President Qasym-Jomart Toqayev and government ministries are on record condemning so-called LGBT ideology.
In , the Kazakhstan Supreme Court upheld and protected the privacy rights of two women, holding a Facebook user accountable for posting a video of the