NEWS: Stigma is Running Through the Roof as Russia Forbid Transgenders to Drive
January 19, 2015
By: Anna Agoncillo
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| Image Credits: Tim Evanson via Flickr |
In order to reduce road accidents, Russia has banned people with mental disorders from driving. Said conditions include: transgender, fetishism, exhibitionism, voyeurism, and pathological gambling.
The Head of the Professional Drivers Union named Alexander Kotov believes that toughening medical requirements for applicants is fully justified.
Even though the road deaths are rampant and unavoidable, does that give us the right to discriminate the abilities of people with mental health?
I do not think so. Russian psychiatrists and human rights lawyers have condemned the move too.
Russian psychiatrists such as Mikhail Strakhov and Valery Evtushenko voiced out their concerns about the recent driving restrictions. According to Mikhail, the definition of "personality disorders" was too vague. Furthermore, some of these disorders do not affect a person's ability to drive a car safely.
Valery adds that this restriction will only cause fear that will hinder people with mental disorders from seeking needed help.
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| Image Credits: Highways Agency via Flickr |
Even sober homosexuals suffer from road accidents. There is a reason why it is called an accident. Nobody is safe from it.
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Reference
BBC News. (2015). Russia says drivers must not have 'sex disorders'. Retrieved on January 9, 2015 from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30735673
2 comments
I think that people with authoritarian tendencies have a real problem with people who occupy a "liminal" space- they really can't handle ambiguity, so they lash out at people who don't fit comfortably in their preconceived categories. It's a pity that too many people just cannot let others be true to their nature.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that you said that because to take that literally, people with personality disorders may park a car in different manners such as a narcissist may have the largest car and occupy the whole space while a person with an OCD may park the car with perfect alignment in all sides. Hence, they don't fit it the norm.
ReplyDeleteImplicitly, some people (including people of authority) are not sensitive enough to put themselves in the shoes of others. This is why they make drastic decisions that prevent others from being true to themselves. What a harsh reality that we have to face!
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