Lawmakers in Kazakhstan on Wednesday advanced a bill that would ban so-called LGBTQ propaganda in the country.

Reuters notes the measure, which members of the country’s lower house of parliament unanimously approved, would ban “‘LGBT propaganda’ online or in the media” with “fines for violators and up to 10 days in jail for repeat offenders.”

The bill now goes to the Kazakh Senate.

Reuters reported senators will likely support the measure. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has also indicated he would sign it.

Kazakhstan is a predominantly Muslim former Soviet republic in Central Asia that borders Russia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and China.

Consensual same-sex sexual relations are decriminalized in Kazakhstan, but the State Department’s 2023 human rights report notes human rights activists have “reported threats of violence and significant online and in-person verbal abuse towards LGBTQI+ individuals.” The document also indicates discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity remains commonplace in the country. (Jessica Stern, the former special U.S. envoy for the promotion of LGBTQ and intersex rights under the Biden-Harris administration who co-founded the Alliance for Diplomacy and Justice, in August condemned the current White House for the “deliberate erasure” of LGBTQ and intersex people from the State Department’s 2024 human rights report.)

Russia, Georgia, and Hungary are among the other countries with propaganda laws.

Nepal’s Telecommunications Authority at midnight on Sept. 4 blocked 26 social media platforms — including X, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. The move ignited growing discontent among Generation Z, many of whom are in their teens and 20s, over government corruption. What began as a peaceful protest led largely by young people, including members of the LGBTQ community, soon turned violent and ultimately forced the prime minister to resign.

The government said the platforms failed to register within a seven-day deadline under new regulations intended to curb fake news, hate speech, and online fraud. Only five companies complied, prompting a blanket shutdown that disrupted communication for nearly 90 percent of Nepal’s 30 million internet users, many of whom depend on these apps for news, business, education, and contact with relatives working abroad.

The ban backfired almost immediately. 

Many Nepalese youth, already angered by viral TikTok videos exposing the lavish lifestyles of politicians’ children, viewed it as a blatant attempt to silence anti-corruption discourse. Between Sept. 7 and 8, small gatherings began in Kathmandu’s Maitighar Mandala and New Baneshwor areas near parliament. Thousands of young citizens, including members of the LGBTQ community, chanted slogans such as “Stop the ban on social media, stop corruption, not social media” and “Youth Against Corruption.” 

By Sept. 8, the crowds had swelled into the tens of thousands, with protesters defying police lines and storming parliament gates. Violence erupted when security forces responded with tear gas, water cannons, rubber bullets and live ammunition, killing at least 19 protesters — including a 12-year-old — and injuring more than 300 in Kathmandu, the Nepalese capital, alone. Two additional deaths were reported in Itahari, a city in eastern Nepal.

Protesters retaliated by hurling stones and scaling barriers, plunging the demonstrations into chaos. Authorities imposed curfews across several districts, but young people defied the orders, ferrying the injured on motorcycles and continuing their marches.

While politicians and their families flaunted luxury abroad — from designer bags to exotic vacations — ordinary Nepalese struggled with a per capita annual income of just $1,300. LGBTQ and intersex Nepalese face additional barriers, including discrimination in employment and education that contribute to lower economic outcomes compared to the general population.

Nepal’s sluggish development has forced millions to seek work abroad, straining families and fueling a persistent brain drain. Gen Z, facing limited opportunities, rising prices and the disruption of online education due to the social media ban, felt betrayed by unfulfilled electoral promises. 

Human Rights Watch notes that while Nepal legally recognizes transgender people as a third gender, many have been denied identity documents. A small number have managed to change their documents from “male” to “female,” but the process typically requires an invasive and humiliating physical exam in a medical setting — a practice widely criticized as a human rights violation.

The social media ban was widely seen as an attempt to suppress dissent, reflecting broader concerns about government overreach under now former Prime Minister Sharma Oli’s coalition government. Critics argued the move violated constitutional rights and international human rights covenants. For the young people, it represented an attack on their primary means of staying informed and organizing globally.

Oli on Sept. 9 resigned following widespread protests. Protesters in the aftermath organized a cleanup campaign, symbolizing their commitment to restoring civic order and accountability.

Protests ‘will be good for everyone’

Speaking to the Washington Blade, Honey Maharjan, an LGBTQ activist and member of the People’s Socialist Party–Nepal, described the Gen Z-led protest as one of the most successful demonstrations in Nepal’s recent history.

“Of course LGBTQ people also joined the Gen Z protest, our friend also joined the protest,” said Maharjan. “I am very sad. I also cried for the young boys who got killed by the police. My two sons also cried. They couldn’t sleep because of this protest. At night my son asked me what’s going on? I said wait and you will see, I think it will be good for everyone. It will change everything.”

Maharjan told the Blade that she and the LGBTQ community were elated when they learned of Oli’s resignation and the subsequent departure of other ministers. She added the announcement that Sushila Karki would be the new prime minister further strengthened their sense of hope and accomplishment.

“I hope she doesn’t disappoint us,” said Maharjan in a telephone interview with the Blade. “The rights enshrined in the constitution are equal for everyone including the LGBTQ community. Nepal is a peaceful country and a land of Buddha, so we wish peace for everyone.”

Karki in her inaugural address pledged to restore democratic governance and address the root causes of the recent unrest. She announced that elections will take place on March 5, 2026, with preparations already underway in coordination with the Election Commission.

Karki emphasized the government’s readiness to organize a transparent and inclusive electoral process. She also committed to establishing an anti-corruption committee and an investigative panel to probe the violence during the protests.

The protests in Nepal ultimately claimed 74 lives and left more than 2,000 people injured, making it the deadliest civil unrest the country has seen in decades.

APCOM and the Asian Development Bank hosted the 3rd Asian Development Bank Learning Week in the Philippine capital of Manila from Sept. 8-9.

The meeting brought together LGBTQ and intersex activists, civil society organizations, and human rights defenders from Asia and the Pacific to engage with bank management on development that is LGBTQ and intersex-inclusive. The ASEAN SOGIE Caucus, ILGA Asia, Intersex Asia, and the Pacific Sexual and Gender Diversity Network co-organized the event.

The bank’s presence and collaboration, however, was noticeably absent.

Although invitations had been extended and initially accepted, all bank staff who were scheduled to speak at the sessions — including representatives from the ADB NGO and Civil Society Center — withdrew at the last minute.

“It’s really unfortunate that we have this situation, but we understand if there is some trepidation to engage with the LGBTQI community given the changing geopolitical context and a dismaying pushback on rights across the spectrum. The LGBTQI community will continue its advocacy to demand accountability from the ADB to include us in its quest for a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific. That promise should include the LGBTQI community,” said Bambang Prayudi, executive director of Perkumpulan Suara Kita, an LGBTQ rights organization based in Indonesia. “The lessons of the past have clearly demonstrated that exclusion ultimately undermines and harms individuals, communities, and entire nations both socially and economically.”

The activists shifted from the originally planned sessions with ADB staff to engaging directly with bank board members, voicing concerns the withdrawal reflected a backtracking by an institution that had increasingly been progressive on LGBTQ and intersex-inclusion and engagement with LGBTQ and intersex communities. The move also raised questions about the bank’s commitment to its Strategy 2030, which aims to sustain efforts to eradicate extreme poverty and promote an inclusive Asia and Pacific.

APCOM, however, highlighted the bank last year approved a new Environmental and Social Framework that, for the first time, explicitly includes sexual orientation and gender identity in its definition of disadvantaged and vulnerable groups. The policy is scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, with rollout efforts underway, including capacity-building for bank management and staff.

APCOM noted that while the move represents a significant step forward for the bank, its true impact will depend on consistent implementation and sustained, genuine engagement with the LGBTQ and intersex community.

Activists said bank management in December 2024 approved the Operational Approach to Sexual and Gender Minorities Inclusion: A Roadmap for 2025–2030, aimed at creating an environment in which people of diverse sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics are not only accepted but fully empowered. APCOM noted in a press release the bank has since removed the document from its website without explanation.

The press release said the sudden removal has left many LGBTQ and intersex activists uncertain about next steps because they were not consulted. The website removal raises questions about how firmly the bank will carry its commitment forward.

APCOM said activists met with several bank board members and requested the ADB return the document to its website. The press release also highlighted disappointment the bank this year did not commemorate the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia — the ADB has marked IDAHOBiT since 2019.

“ADB needs to have continued dialogue with the LGBTQI community and hold regular meetings with us if it seeks to implement policies that claim to benefit us,” said APCOM Executive Director Midnight Poonkasetwattana. “They have to remember: Nothing about us, without us. They cannot enact SOGIESC-inclusive policies without involving the LGBTQI community.”

LGBTQ and intersex activists who traveled to Manila, meanwhile, are urging the bank to uphold accountability in its stated commitments.

“More than policies on paper, our constituencies seek meaningful inclusion — to be consulted, engaged, and heard in the design, implementation, and monitoring of initiatives that affect their lives,” said Poonkasetwattana. “We sincerely hope ADB, whose policies are so crucial in setting an example for its member states and other stakeholders to follow, will stand strong in these challenging times and uphold principles of equality and social justice for all.”

The Washington Blade in 2022 reported then-Ambassador Chantale Wong, who was the ADB’s U.S. director during the Biden-Harris administration, pushed for sexual orientation and gender identity to be included in the bank’s safeguards.

The bank, which is based in the Philippines, seeks to promote economic and social development across Asia and the Pacific. Wong was the first openly lesbian U.S. ambassador in the U.S.