Council of Churches of Ukraine urges authorities not to adopt gender laws

AUCCRO opposes the adoption of gender laws. Photo: vrciro.org.ua

On May 28, 2020, the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations called on the Ukrainian Parliament to refrain from adopting bills aimed at introducing gender ideology in the country's legislation, reports the official website of the AUCCRO.

"Bill No. 3316, and alternative bills No. 3316-2 and No. 3316-3 contain problematic norms that increase criminal liability for crimes in the event a person has "preconceptions, prejudices, stereotypical views," - the document says.

According to the Council of Churches, these categories are subjective and are in a plane that cannot be objectively assessed from the point of view of law.

"At the same time, attempts to introduce such a precedent when officials will determine what are criminal prejudices and stereotypes and what are called "normal", "permissible" views of a person are a cause for concern," stressed the AUCCRO.

This approach, according to the Council of Churches, "contains signs of violation of the constitutional human right to freedom of thought, conscience, and expression, as the state power is vested with the right to assess the beliefs of an individual and, depending on it, to increase or decrease penalties.

The organization stressed that "Ukrainian legislation does not contain a definition of gender identity, and therefore such legal uncertainty is an additional ground for abuse in this area.

It is for the above reasons that the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations calls on the Parliamentary Law Enforcement Committee "to reject alternative bills No. 3316-2 and No. 3316-3 amending the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which declare the intention to counter hate crimes on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, as they need significant improvement".

As reported earlier, the UN called on Ukraine to create a society free from gender-based violence.

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