Both changing someone's gender through medical treatment and on the passport are prohibited. The reason for the law is "to protect traditional family values", something more often used by Russia in the fight against LGBT+ emancipation.

Russian parliamentarians therefore see the law as a resistance to "Western propaganda". For example, MP Pyotr Tolstoy says on Telegram: "I really want the guys who are now defending the honor of Russia at the cost of their lives to return home and see that the country has changed. That we are all fighting for a new sovereign Russia, as a united front free from Western influence."

The law is not the first measure Russia is taking to limit the visibility and rights of the LGBT+ community. The most notorious law in force prohibits “gay propaganda”. Violators of this law can be imprisoned. Politicians in Russia, including President Putin, are using these laws as part of a culture war against the West. This portrays countries that have progressive LGBT+ laws as decadent and godless. However, the rhetoric does not stay within national borders, but is also used by conservative politicians in countries such as Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria.