Russia Bans Transgender People from Getting Driver's Licenses

According to the International Business Times, under the new guidelines, people who are homosexual or transgender will not be allowed to to get a license. The list also includes things like fetishism, voyeurism and exhibitionism as grounds for not getting behind the wheel, notes the BBC News.

The ban, which the government says has been devised to curb the number of road accidents, reportedly affects other groups in Russia, as well. People shorter than 4 foot, 11 inches and amputees can also no longer get a driver's license. Pathological gambling and compulsive stealing are also grounds for not being able to get a license.

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed the order on December 29, and has been roundly criticized by Russian and global human rights groups that describe the bans as discriminatory and the wording of the rule as too vague.