What many consider the first gay-pride march ever held in Central Asia has unleashed a storm of controversy in Kyrgyzstan, with threats of violence against participants, counterprotests, and fiery parliamentary debate over whether to rein in civil society. The peaceful march by some 400 people in central Bishkek on Women’s Day on March 8 promoting women’s rights and “equality for all” was fiercely criticized by socially conservative lawmakers in the predominantly Muslim country.