Two former Soviet republics are considering Russian-style anti-LGBTQ laws. Neither the nation of Georgia nor that of Kazakhstan is considering criminalizing same-sex intimacy, but both are dealing with proposals for laws against so-called “gay propaganda”, which is a homophobic label for any public comment endorsing or tolerating homosexuality. In Kazakhstan, a petition against “LGBT propaganda” has received more than 50,000 signatures, meaning Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Culture and Information must consider it. Local observers expect that proposal to fail. In Georgia, anti-LGBT action seems more likely: The parliament gave initial approval last week to legislation that would prohibit both “propaganda” of same-sex relationships and gender reassignment surgery.