Today, Sunday, Iraqi lawmakers submitted a bill to the House of Representatives to ban homosexual propaganda and promotion. Thirty members of the Iraqi parliament submitted a bill to the Iraqi parliament speaker to punish groups that advance “homosexual propaganda.” The term “Homosexual Propaganda” refers to the increased use of homosexual content on social media, like groups and NGOs that advocate for LGBT rights. Homosexuality is punishable by law in Iraq.

According to the bill, an ordinary citizen advocating for homosexuality would be fined between one to eight million Iraq Dinars (IQD). If government officials advocate for gay rights, they would be fined between 5 to 15 million IQD, around $10,000 US.

According to the bill, any government office, company or civil society organization that advocates for LGBT rights would face a heavy fine, ranging from 8 million to 24 million dinars.

In the Kurdistan region and Iraq, several social media figures that claim to have different sexual orientations have gathered a large number of followers, working to normalize homosexuality.

In November, over 70 Kurdistan Parliament lawmakers proposed a bill to ban homosexuality promotion. If the law passes, it will punish any individual or group who advocates for gay rights. According to the Bill on the “Prohibition of Promoting Homosexuality,” anyone who would call for gay rights would face imprisonment and a fine of over $3 000 US.