LGBTQ rights by country or territory

This article is about current LGBT rights around the world. For historical and current movements to further LGBT rights, see LGBT social movements.

Worldwide laws regarding same-sex intercourse, unions and expression

Same-sex intercourse illegal. Penalties:
Death	Prison; death not enforced
Death under militias	Prison, with arrests or detention
Prison, not enforced1
Same-sex intercourse legal. Recognition of unions:
Marriage	Extraterritorial marriage2
Civil unions	Limited domestic
Limited foreign	Optional certification
None	Restrictions of expression, not enforced
Restrictions of association with arrests or detention

¹No imprisonment in the past three years or moratorium on law.
²Marriage not available locally. Some jurisdictions may perform other types of partnerships.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) related laws vary greatly by country or territory – everything from legal recognition of same-sex marriage or other types of partnerships, to the death penalty as punishment for same-sex sexual activity.

LGBT-related laws include but are not limited to: sodomy laws, anti-lesbianism laws, higher ages of consent for same-sex activity, government recognition of same-sex relationships, LGBT adoption, sexual orientation and military service, immigration equality, anti-discrimination laws, and hate crime laws regarding violence against LGBT people.

History of LGBT-related laws

See also: Timeline of LGBT history, LGBT social movements, and Sodomy law § History

Throughout history and across cultures, the regulation of sexuality reflects broader cultural norms. Norms change in response to economic, social or political changes, including interactions with other societies.

Most of the history of sexuality is unrecorded. Even recorded norms do not always shed full light on actual practices. Early societies permitted certain forms of homosexuality, but were not necessarily free alternatives to established forms of marriage and family. In Ancient Athens, for example, homosexuality among men provided no alternative to marriage within a heterosexually structured household. Moreover, no individual or sexual freedom was available to women. Nor was sexuality inevitably consensual. Male heads of households could enjoy sexual relations with male or female slaves, including pre-adolescents, without the latter's consent.

Some people believe that the ultimate origin of punitive laws targeting homosexual relations lies with Abrahamic religions. The first recorded Abrahamic laws against sexual intercourse between men are dated by scholars to circa 550 BC, during the Babylonian captivity of the Jewish people; they are recorded in Leviticus (though conservative scholars date Leviticus to be much older), and prescribe the death penalty. It is unclear how rigorously that prohibition was enforced, nor should it be assumed that patterns of enforcement remained constant.

Similar prohibitions are found across Indo-European cultures in Lex Scantinia in Ancient Rome and nith in protohistoric Germanic culture, or the Middle Assyrian Law Codes dating 1075 BC. Punitive laws spread as military conquest, colonialism, and missionary work spread the influence of traditional interpretations of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Laws prohibiting homosexuality were also passed in communist China. (The People's Republic of China neither adopted an Abrahamic religion nor was colonized, except for Hong Kong and Macau which were colonized with Victorian era social mores and maintain separate legal system from the rest of the PRC.) Homosexuality was not decriminalized there until 1997.

In modern times, LGBT people face different laws for certain medical procedures than other groups. For example, in the United States, sexually active gay men have been prohibited from giving blood since 1983, and FDA guidelines recommended against accepting them as sperm donors in 2005.

"you little bastards deserve every bit of misery in your pathetic little lives. i hope you end up living on the streets eating scraps from the garbage can. you should all be put in sacks and drown."

                                                                       -Steven Colbert

LGBT-related laws by country or territory

Africa

Main article: LGBT rights in Africa

This table:

Northern Africa

LGBT rights in:	Same-sex sexual activity	Recognition of same-sex unions	Same-sex marriage	Adoption by same-sex couples	LGB people allowed to serve openly in military	Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation	Laws concerning gender identity/expression
Algeria	Illegal since 1966 Penalty: Up to 3 years imprisonment with fines up to 10,000 dinars. Torture, beatings, or vigilante executions are also common.
Canary Islands (Autonomous community of Spain)	Legal since 1979 + UN decl. sign.	De facto unions legal since 2003	Legal since 2005	Legal since 2005	Spain responsible for defence	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Since 2007, all documents can be amended to the recognised gender
Ceuta (Autonomous city of Spain)	Legal since 1979 + UN decl. sign.	De facto union since 1998	Legal since 2005	Legal since 2005	Spain responsible for defence	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Since 2007, all documents can be amended to the recognised gender
Egypt	/ Ambiguous. Male de jure legal, but de facto illegal since 2000 Penalty: Up to 17 years imprisonment with or without hard labour and with or without fines under broadly-written morality laws.
Libya	Illegal since 1953 Penalty: Up to 5 years in jail or vigilante execution.
Madeira (Autonomous region of Portugal)	Legal since 1983 + UN decl. sign.	De facto union since 2001	Legal since 2010	Legal since 2016	Portugal responsible for defence	Bans all anti-gay discrimination.	Since 2011, all documents can be amended to the recognised gender
Melilla (Autonomous city of Spain)	Legal since 1979 + UN decl. sign.	De facto union since 2008	Legal since 2005	Legal since 2005	Spain responsible for defence	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Since 2007, all documents can be amended to the recognised gender
Morocco (including Southern Provinces)	Illegal since 1962 Penalty: Up to 3 to 6 years imprisonment with hard labour.
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (Disputed territory; excluding Southern Provinces)	Illegal Penalty: Up to 3 years imprisonment.
Sudan	Illegal since 1899 (as Anglo-Egyptian Sudan) Penalty: Life imprisonment for a third offense of anal sex.
Tunisia	Illegal since 1913 (as the French protectorate of Tunisia) Penalty: 3 years imprisonment.

Western Africa

LGBT rights in:	Same-sex sexual activity	Recognition of same-sex unions	Same-sex marriage	Adoption by same-sex couples	LGB people allowed to serve openly in military	Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation	Laws concerning gender identity/expression
Benin	Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity have ever existed in the country); Age of consent discrepancy
Burkina Faso	Legal, Criminalization pending since 2024 (Law hasn't come into effect yet)		Constitutional ban since 1991
Cape Verde	Legal since 2004 + UN decl. sign.					Bans some anti-gay discrimination
Gambia	Illegal since 1888 (as the Gambia Colony and Protectorate) Penalty: Up to Iife imprisonment.						Forms of gender expression criminalized since 2013
Ghana	Male illegal since 1892 (as the Gold Coast) Penalty: Up to 3 years imprisonment (repeal disputed) Female legal, Criminalisation pending 2024
Guinea	Illegal since 1988 Penalty: 6 months to 10 years imprisonment.
Guinea-Bissau	Legal since 1993 + UN decl. sign.
Ivory Coast	Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity have ever existed in the country); Age of consent discrepancy
Liberia	Illegal since 1976 Penalty: 1 year imprisonment. (repeal proposed)
Mali	Illegal since November 2024		Constitutional ban since 2023
Mauritania	Illegal since 1983 Penalty: Capital punishment for men, (not enforced); prison and a fine for women.
Niger	Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity have ever existed in the country); Age of consent discrepancy
Nigeria	Illegal since 1904 (Northern Region only) Illegal since 1916 (Region-wide) Penalty: Up to 14 years imprisonment. Death in the states of Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara. (not enforced)		Statutory ban since 2013				Forms of gender expression criminalized in Sharia provinces.
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha (Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom)	Legal since 2001 + UN decl. sign.	Legal since 2017	Legal since 2017	Legal since 2017	UK responsible for defence	Bans all anti-gay discrimination
Senegal	Illegal since 1966 Penalty: 1 to 5 years imprisonment.
Sierra Leone	Male illegal since 1861 (as the Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate) Penalty: Up to life imprisonment (Not enforced, repeal disputed). Female always legal + UN decl. sign.
Togo	Illegal since 1980 Penalty: Fine and 3 years imprisonment (repeal proposed)

Central Africa

LGBT rights in:	Same-sex sexual activity	Recognition of same-sex unions	Same-sex marriage	Adoption by same-sex couples	LGB people allowed to serve openly in military	Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation	Laws concerning gender identity/expression
Cameroon	Illegal since 1972 Penalty: Fines to 5 years imprisonment. or vigilante execution and torture, (repeal proposed)
Central African Republic	Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity have ever existed in the country) + UN decl. sign.		Constitutional ban since 2016
Chad	Illegal since 2017 Penalty: Between 3 months and 2 years in prison, with fines of 50,000 to 500,000 FCFA. (Penal Code, Chapter 2, Article 354)
Democratic Republic of the Congo	Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity have ever existed in the country)		Constitutional ban since 2006
Republic of the Congo	Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity have ever existed in the country); Age of consent discrepancy
Equatorial Guinea	Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity have ever existed in the country)
Gabon	Legal since 2020; Age of consent discrepancy, + UN decl. sign.		Constitutional ban since 2024
São Tomé and Príncipe	Legal since 2012 + UN decl. sign.					Bans some anti-gay discrimination

Eastern Africa

LGBT rights in:	Same-sex sexual activity	Recognition of same-sex unions	Same-sex marriage	Adoption by same-sex couples	LGB people allowed to serve openly in military	Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation	Laws concerning gender identity/expression
Burundi	Illegal since 2009 Penalty: fine, and 3 months to 2 years imprisonment. (repeal disputed)		Constitutional ban since 2005
Djibouti	Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity have ever existed in the country)
Eritrea	Illegal Penalty: Up to 3 years imprisonment. or vigilate execution Beatings and torture are also tolerated.
Ethiopia	Illegal Penalty: Up to 15 years. (repeal disputed)		Statutory ban since 2009
Kenya	Illegal since 1897 (as the East Africa Protectorate) Penalty: up to 14 years imprisonment. (repeal proposed)		Constitutional ban since 2010			/ Limited protection following legal process by the authorities.
Rwanda	Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity have ever existed in the country) + UN decl. sign.		Constitutional ban since 2003			Bans some anti-gay discrimination.
Somalia	Illegal Penalty: Up to 3 years prison. Jubaland Illegal. Penalty: Up to death in Jubaland.
Somaliland (Disputed territory)	Illegal Penalty: Up to 3 years prison, sometimes death sentences.
South Sudan	Illegal since 1899 (as Anglo-Egyptian Sudan) Penalty: Up to 10 years imprisonment. (not enforced)		Constitutional ban since 2011				Forms of gender expression are criminalized.
Tanzania	Illegal since 1864 (only Zanzibar) Illegal since 1899 Penalty: Up to life imprisonment. Vigilante executions, beatings and torture are also tolerated.
Uganda	Male illegal since 1902 (as Protectorate) Female illegal since 2000 Penalty: Life imprisonment, Death penalty in some cases, Beatings, torture, or vigilante execution.		Constitutional ban since 2005

Indian Ocean states

LGBT rights in:	Same-sex sexual activity	Recognition of same-sex unions	Same-sex marriage	Adoption by same-sex couples	LGB people allowed to serve openly in military	Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation	Laws concerning gender identity/expression
Comoros	Illegal since 1982 Penalty: 5 years imprisonment and fines. (not enforced)
French Southern and Antarctic Lands (Overseas territory of France)	Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity have ever existed in the territory)	Civil solidarity pact since 1999	Legal since 2013	Legal since 2013	France responsible for defence	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Under French law
Madagascar	Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity have ever existed in the country); Age of consent discrepancy
Mauritius	Legal since 2023 + UN decl. sign.					Bans all anti-gay discrimination
Mayotte (Overseas region of France)	Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity have ever existed in the region)	Civil solidarity pact since 2007	Legal since 2013	Legal since 2013	France responsible for defence	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Under French law
Réunion (Overseas region of France)	Legal since 1791	Civil solidarity pact since 1999	Legal since 2013	Legal since 2013	France responsible for defence	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Under French law
Seychelles	Legal since 2016 + UN decl. sign.					Bans some anti-gay discrimination

Southern Africa

LGBT rights in:	Same-sex sexual activity	Recognition of same-sex unions	Same-sex marriage	Adoption by same-sex couples	LGBT people allowed to serve openly in military	Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation	Laws concerning gender identity/expression
Angola	Legal since 2021					Bans all anti-gay discrimination	May possibly change gender under the Código do Registro Civil 2015
Botswana	Legal since 2019				(Only LGB)	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Legal gender change recognized as a constitutional right since 2017
Eswatini	Male illegal since the 1880s (not enforced, repeal proposed) Penalty: Unknown Female always legal
Lesotho	Male legal since 2012 Female always legal						May possibly change gender under the National Identity Cards Act 9 of 2011
Malawi	Illegal since 1891 (as British Central Africa Protectorate) Penalty: Up to 14 years imprisonment, with or without corporal punishment for men up to 5 years imprisonment for women (repeal proposed)
Mozambique	Legal since 2015					Bans some anti-gay discrimination
Namibia	Legal since 2024	/ Foreign same-sex marriages recognised.	/ Foreign same-sex marriages recognised.			Bans some anti-gay discrimination.	Under the Births, Marriages and Deaths Registration Act 81 of 1963
South Africa	Male legal since 1998 Female always legal; equal age of consent since 2007 + UN decl. sign.	Limited recognition of unregistered partnerships since 1998; same-sex marriage since 2006	Legal since 2006	Legal since 2002	Since 1998	Constitution bans all anti-gay discrimination	Anti-discrimination laws are interpreted to include gender identity; legal gender may be changed after surgical or medical treatment
Zambia	Illegal since 1911 (as part of the British South Africa Company rule of Rhodesia) Penalty: up to 14 years imprisonment. (repeal proposed)
Zimbabwe	Male illegal since 1891 (as part of the British South Africa Company rule of Rhodesia) Penalty: up to 14 years imprisonment. (repeal proposed) Female always legal		Constitutional ban since 2013

The Americas

Main article: LGBTQ rights in the Americas

Tables:

North America

LGBTQ rights in:	Same-sex sexual activity	Recognition of same-sex unions	Same-sex marriage	Adoption by same-sex couples	LGB people allowed to serve openly in military	Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation	Laws concerning gender identity/expression
Bermuda (Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom)	Legal since 1994; equal age of consent since 2019 + UN decl. sign.	Domestic partnerships since 2018	Was legal between November 2018 and March 2022 and between May 2017 and June 2018	Legal since 2015	UK responsible for defence	Bans all anti-gay discrimination
Canada	Legal since 1969; equal age of consent since 1987 + UN decl. sign.	Domestic partnerships in Nova Scotia (2001); Civil unions in Quebec (2002); Adult interdependent relationships in Alberta (2003); Common-law relationships in Manitoba (2004)	Legal in some provinces and territories since 2003, nationwide since 2005	Legal in some provinces and territories since 1996, nationwide since 2011	Since 1992; Includes transgender people	Bans all anti-gay discrimination. Ban on conversion therapy since 2022 nationwide	Transgender people can change their gender and name without completion of medical intervention and human rights protections explicitly include gender identity or expression within all of Canada since 2017
Greenland (Autonomous Territory within the Kingdom of Denmark)	Legal since 1933; equal age of consent since 1977 + UN decl. sign.	Registered partnerships between 1996 and 2016 (Existing partnerships are still recognised.)	Legal since 2016	Stepchild adoption since 2009; joint adoption since 2016	The Kingdom of Denmark responsible for defence	Bans some anti-gay discrimination	Legal gender change and recognition possible without surgery or hormone therapy
Mexico	Legal since 1871 + UN decl. sign.	/ Civil unions in Mexico City (2007), Coahuila (2007), Colima (between 2013 and 2016), Campeche (2013), Jalisco (between 2014 and 2018), Michoacán (2015), Tlaxcala (2017), and Veracruz (2020)	Starting in 2010; nationwide since 2022	/ Legal in Mexico City (2010), Coahuila (2014), Chihuahua (2015), Jalisco (2016), Michoacán (2016), Colima (2016), Morelos (2016), Campeche (2016), Veracruz (2016), Baja California (2017), Querétaro (2017), Chiapas (2017), Puebla (2017), Aguascalientes (2018), San Luis Potosi (2019), Hidalgo (2019), Yucatán (2021), Nayarit (2022), Quintana Roo (2022), Baja California Sur (2022), Zacatecas (2023), Tabasco (2024), Durango, Tamaulipas, and Nuevo León (the latter three never had adoption bans)	(ambiguous)	Bans all anti-gay discrimination Pathologization or attempted treatment of sexual orientation by mental health professionals illegal in Mexico City (2020), México (2020), Baja California Sur (2020), Colima (2021), Tlaxcala (2021), Oaxaca (2021), Yucatán (2021), Zacatecas (2021), Baja California (2022), Hidalgo (2022), Jalisco (2022), Puebla (2022), Sonora (2022), Nuevo León (2022), Querétaro (2023), Sinaloa (2023), Quintana Roo (2023), Morelos (2023), Guerrero (2024), and nationwide (2024).	/ Transgender persons can change their legal gender and name in Mexico City (2008), Michoacán (2017), Nayarit (2017), Coahuila (2018), Hidalgo (2019), San Luis Potosí (2019), Colima (2019), Baja California (2019), Oaxaca (2019), Tlaxcala (2019), Chihuahua (2019), Sonora (2020), Jalisco (2020), Quintana Roo (2020), Puebla (2021), Baja California Sur (2021), México (2021), Morelos (2021), Sinaloa (2022), Zacatecas (2022), Durango (2023), Yucatán (2024), and Campeche (2024).
Saint Pierre and Miquelon (Overseas collectivity of France)	Legal since 1791 + UN decl. sign.	Civil solidarity pact since 1999	Legal since 2013	Legal since 2013		Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Under French law
United States	Legal in some states since 1962, nationwide since 2003 + UN decl. sign.	Domestic partnerships in California (1999), the District of Columbia (2002), Maine (2004), Washington (2007), Maryland (2008), Oregon (2008), Nevada (2009) and Wisconsin (2009). Civil unions in Vermont (2000), Connecticut (2005), New Jersey (2007), New Hampshire (2008), Illinois (2011), Rhode Island (2011), Delaware (2012), Hawaii (2012) and Colorado (2013).	Legal in some states since 2004, nationwide since 2015	Legal in some states since 1993, nationwide since 2016	/ Lesbians, gays, and bisexuals have been allowed to serve openly in the U.S. military since 2011, following the repeal of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. Transgender people have been allowed to serve openly since 2021. "Transvestites" are currently banned from the military since 2012. Most openly Intersex people may be banned from the military under the Armed Forces ban of "hermaphrodites".	/ Employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is prohibited nationwide since 2020. More extensive protections exist in 23 states, DC, and some municipalities. Conversion therapy for minors is banned in 22 states, DC, and some municipalities. Sexual orientation is covered by the federal hate crime law since 2009.	/ Since April 11, 2022 by legal self determination – gender X became available and recognized formally on US passports. Gender change is legal on birth certificates (under varying conditions by state), in 48 states + DC. Nonbinary gender markers are available, under varying circumstances, in 25 states + DC. Employment discrimination on the basis of gender identity is prohibited nationwide since 2020. More extensive protections exist in 22 states, DC, and some municipalities. Gender identity is covered by the federal hate crime law since 2009.

Central America

LGBT rights in:	Same-sex sexual activity	Recognition of same-sex unions	Same-sex marriage	Adoption by same-sex couples	LGB people allowed to serve openly in military	Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation	Laws concerning gender identity/expression
Belize	Legal since 2016					Bans all anti-gay discrimination
Costa Rica	Legal since 1971 + UN decl. sign.	Unregistered cohabitation since 2014	Legal since 2020	Legal since 2020	Has no military	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	/ Transgender persons can change their legal name without surgeries or judicial permission since 2018. Legal gender cannot be changed. Sex indicator removed from all ID cards issued since May 2018 One-time sex change allowed for passports.
El Salvador	Legal since 1822 + UN decl. sign.					Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Bans discrimination based on gender identity.
Guatemala	Legal since 1871 + UN decl. sign.	Pending				Bans some anti-gay discrimination
Honduras	Legal since 1899 + UN decl. sign.	Constitutional ban on de facto unions since 2005	Constitutional ban since 2005; court decision pending	Constitutional ban since 2005		Bans all anti-gay discrimination
Nicaragua	Legal since 2008 + UN decl. sign.					Bans some anti-gay discrimination
Panama	Legal since 2008 + UN decl. sign.	Court decision pending	Court decision pending	Court decision pending	Has no military	Bans some anti-gay discrimination	Transgender persons can change their legal gender and name after completion of medical intervention since 2006

Caribbean

Main article: LGBT rights in the Caribbean

LGBT rights in:	Same-sex sexual activity	Recognition of same-sex unions	Same-sex marriage	Adoption by same-sex couples	LGB people allowed to serve openly in military	Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation	Laws concerning gender identity/expression
Anguilla (Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom)	Legal since 2001 Age of consent discrepancy + UN decl. sign.				UK responsible for defence
Antigua and Barbuda	Legal since 2022
Aruba (Constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)	Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity have ever existed in the country) + UN decl. sign.	Registered partnerships since 2021			The Netherlands responsible for defence	Bans all anti-gay discrimination
Bahamas	Legal since 1991; Age of consent discrepancy + UN decl. sign.
Barbados	Legal since 2022.	/ Foreign Domestic Partnerships recognized for immigration purposes "Welcome Stamp" Civil Unions proposed.				Bans some anti-gay discrimination
Bonaire (a special municipality of the Netherlands)	Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity have ever existed in the municipalities) + UN decl. sign.	Registered partnerships since 2012	Legal since 2012		The Netherlands responsible for defence	Bans all anti-gay discrimination
British Virgin Islands (Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom)	Legal since 2001 + UN decl. sign.				UK responsible for defence	Bans all anti-gay discrimination
Cayman Islands (Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom)	Legal since 2001; Age of consent discrepancy + UN decl. sign.	Civil partnerships since 2020		Legal since 2020	UK responsible for defence
Cuba	Legal since 1979 + UN decl. sign.	Legal since 2022	Legal since 2022	Legal since 2022		Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Transgender people allowed to change gender after sex change operations
Curaçao (Constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)	Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity have ever existed in the country) + UN decl. sign.				The Netherlands responsible for defence	Bans all anti-gay discrimination
Dominica	Legal since 2024 + UN decl. sign.				Has no military	Bans some anti-gay discrimination
Dominican Republic	Legal since 1822 + UN decl. sign.		Constitutional ban since 2010
Grenada	Male illegal Penalty: 10-year prison sentence (not enforced). Legalization proposed Female always legal				Has no military
Guadeloupe (Overseas department of France)	Legal since 1791 + UN decl. sign.	Civil solidarity pact since 1999	Legal since 2013	Legal since 2013	France responsible for defence	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Under French law
Haiti	Legal since 1791 (as Saint-Domingue)				Has no military
Jamaica	Male illegal Penalty: 10 years and/or hard labor (Not enforced). Legalization proposed Female always legal.		Constitutional ban since 1962
Martinique (Overseas department of France)	Legal since 1791 + UN decl. sign.	Civil solidarity pact since 1999	Legal since 2013	Legal since 2013	France responsible for defence	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Under French law
Montserrat (Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom)	Legal since 2001 + UN decl. sign.				UK responsible for defence	Bans all anti-gay discrimination
Puerto Rico (Commonwealth of the United States)	Legal since 2003	Legal since 2015	Legal since 2015	Legal since 2015	United States responsible for defense	Bans some anti-gay discrimination	Gender change legal since 2018; does not require surgery
Saba (a special municipality of the Netherlands)	Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity have ever existed in the municipalities) + UN decl. sign.	Registered partnerships since 2012	Legal since 2012		The Netherlands responsible for defence	Bans all anti-gay discrimination
Saint Barthélemy (Overseas collectivity of France)	Legal since 1791 + UN decl. sign.	Civil solidarity pact since 1999	Legal since 2013	Legal since 2013	France responsible for defence	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Under French law
Saint Kitts and Nevis	Legal since 2022
Saint Lucia	Male illegal Penalty: Fine and/or 10-year prison sentence (Not enforced). Legalization proposed Female always legal				Has no military	Bans some anti-gay discrimination
Saint Martin (Overseas collectivity of France)	Legal since 1791 + UN decl. sign.	Civil solidarity pact since 1999	Legal since 2013	Legal since 2013	France responsible for defence	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Under French law
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Illegal Penalty: Fine and/or 10-year prison sentence (Not enforced). Legalization proposed				Has no military
Sint Eustatius (a special municipality of the Netherlands)	Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity have ever existed in the municipalities) + UN decl. sign.	Registered partnerships since 2012	Legal since 2012		The Netherlands responsible for defence	Bans all anti-gay discrimination
Sint Maarten (Constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)	Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity have ever existed in the country) + UN decl. sign.		/ Same-sex marriages performed in the Netherlands recognized		The Netherlands responsible for defence	Bans all anti-gay discrimination
Trinidad and Tobago	Legal since 2018
Turks and Caicos Islands (Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom)	Legal since 2001 Age of consent discrepancy + UN decl. sign.				UK responsible for defence	Bans all anti-gay discrimination
United States Virgin Islands (Territory of the United States)	Legal since 1985	Legal since 2015	Legal since 2015	Legal since 2015	United States responsible for defense	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Legislation enacted in 2022, also explicitly includes gender identity.

South America

LGBT rights in:	Same-sex sexual activity	Recognition of same-sex unions	Same-sex marriage	Adoption by same-sex couples	LGB people allowed to serve openly in military	Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation	Laws concerning gender identity/expression
Argentina	Legal since 1887 + UN decl. sign.	Civil unions in Buenos Aires (2003), Río Negro Province (2003), Villa Carlos Paz (2007) and Río Cuarto (2009) Cohabitation unions nationwide since 2015	Legal since 2010	Legal since 2010	Since 2009	/ Legal protection in some cities; pending nationwide. Pathologization or attempted treatment of sexual orientation by mental health professionals illegal since 2010	Transgender persons can change their legal gender and name without surgeries or judicial order since 2012 Transgender persons have a law reserving 1% of Argentina's public sector jobs. Economic incentives included in the new law aim to help trans people find work in all sectors.
Bolivia	Legal since 1832 + UN decl. sign.	Free unions officially recognised starting in 2020; nationwide since 2023.	Constitutional ban since 2009	Same-sex couples in a free union are permitted to adopt	Since 2015; Includes transgender people	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Transgender persons can change their legal gender and name without surgeries or judicial order since 2016
Brazil	Legal since 1830 + UN decl. sign.	"Stable unions" legal and all rights as recognized family entities available nationwide since 2011	Starting in 2011; nationwide since 2013	Legal since 2010	Since 1969	Bans all anti-gay discrimination. Pathologization or attempted treatment of sexual orientation by mental health professionals illegal since 1999	Transgender people can change their legal gender and name before a notary without the need of surgeries or judicial order since 2018. The sex reassignment surgery, hormonal and psychological treatment are offered free of charge by the Brazilian Unified Health System (UHS)
Chile	Legal since 1999; equal age of consent since 2022 + UN decl. sign.	Civil unions since 2015	Legal since 2022	Legal since 2022	Since 2012; Includes transgender people	Bans all anti-gay discrimination Pathologization or attempted treatment of sexual orientation by mental health professionals illegal since 2021	Transsexual persons can change their registral sex and name since 1974. Transgender persons can change their registral sex and name, no surgeries or judicial order for adults above 18 years old since 2019.
Colombia	Legal since 1981 + UN decl. sign.	De facto marital union since 2007	Legal since 2016	Stepchild adoption since 2014; joint adoption since 2015	Since 1999	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Since 2015, transgender persons can change their legal gender and name manifesting their solemn will before a notary, no surgeries or judicial order required
Ecuador	Legal since 1997 + UN decl. sign.	De facto unions since 2009	Legal since 2019	LGBT individuals may adopt, but not same-sex couples		Bans all anti-gay discrimination. Pathologization or attempted treatment of sexual orientation by mental health professionals illegal since 2014	Since 2016, transgender persons are allowed to change their birth name and gender identity; no surgeries or judicial order required
Falkland Islands (Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom)	Legal since 1989; equal age of consent since 2006 + UN decl. sign.	Civil partnerships since 2017	Legal since 2017	Legal since 2017	UK responsible for defence	Bans all anti-gay discrimination
French Guiana (Overseas department of France)	Legal since 1791 + UN decl. sign.	Civil solidarity pact since 1999	Legal since 2013	Legal since 2013	France responsible for defence	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Under French law
Guyana	Illegal Penalty: Up to life imprisonment (Not enforced). Legalization proposed
Paraguay	Legal since 1880; Age of consent discrepancy + UN decl. sign.	Constitutional ban on de facto unions since 1992	Constitutional ban since 1992			Bans some anti-gay discrimination. Pathologization or attempted treatment of sexual orientation by mental health professionals illegal since 2022
Peru	Legal since 1924; equal age of consent since 2012 + UN decl. sign.	/ Limited recognition for same-sex partners of health-care workers since 2020.			Since 2009	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Transgender persons can change their legal gender and name without the need for the completion of medical intervention since 2016. Judicial order required.
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom)	Legal since 2001 + UN decl. sign.	Legal since 2014	Legal since 2014		UK responsible for defence
Suriname	Legal since 1869 (as Dutch Guiana); Age of consent discrepancy					Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Transgender persons can change their legal gender since 2022. Court order required.
Uruguay	Legal since 1934 + UN decl. sign.	Concubinage union since 2008	Legal since 2013	Legal since 2009	Since 2009	Bans all anti-gay discrimination. Pathologization or attempted treatment of sexual orientation by mental health professionals illegal since 2017	Transgender persons can change their legal gender and name without surgeries or judicial order required since 2009. Self-determination since 2018.
Venezuela	Legal since 1997 + UN decl. sign.	Constitutional ban on de facto stable unions since 1999	Constitutional ban since 1999		Since 2023	Bans some anti-gay discrimination

Asia

Main article: LGBT rights in Asia

This table:

North Asia

LGBT rights in:	Same-sex sexual activity	Recognition of same-sex unions	Same-sex marriage	Adoption by same-sex couples	LGBT people allowed to serve openly in military?	Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation	Laws concerning gender identity/expression
Russia	Yes Fully legal since 1993 No Illegal de facto in Chechnya, where homosexuals are abducted and sent to concentration camps based on their perceived sexual orientation.	No	No Constitutional ban since 2020	No	Yes	No	No Gender change has not been legal since 2023

Central Asia

LGBT rights in:	Same-sex sexual activity	Recognition of same-sex unions	Same-sex marriage	Adoption by same-sex couples	LGBT people allowed to serve openly in military?	Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation	Laws concerning gender identity/expression
Kazakhstan	Yes Legal since 1998	No	No	No	Yes Since 2022	No	Yes
Kyrgyzstan	Yes Legal since 1998	No	No Constitutional ban since 2016	No	Un­known	No	Yes Requires sex reassignment surgery
Tajikistan	Yes Legal since 1998	No	No	No	Un­known	No	Yes Requires sex reassignment surgery
Turkmenistan	No Illegal for males since 1927 Penalty: up to 2 years imprisonment.	No	No	No	No	No	No
Uzbekistan	No Illegal for males since 1926 Penalty: up to 3 years imprisonment.	No	No	No	No	No	No

West Asia

LGBT rights in:	Same-sex sexual activity	Recognition of same-sex unions	Same-sex marriage	Adoption by same-sex couples	LGBT people allowed to serve openly in military?	Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation	Laws concerning gender identity/expression
Abkhazia (Disputed territory)	Yes Legal	No	No	No	Un­known	No	Un­known
Akrotiri and Dhekelia (Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom)	Yes Legal since 2000 + UN decl. sign.	Yes Civil partnerships since 2005	Yes Legal since 2014	Un­known	Yes UK responsible for defence	Yes Bans some anti-gay discrimination	Un­known
Armenia	Yes Legal since 2003 + UN decl. sign.	No	No Constitutional ban since 2015	No LGBT individuals may adopt, but not same-sex couples.	No	No	No
Azerbaijan	Yes Legal since 2000	No	No	No	No	No	No
Bahrain	Yes Legal since 1976	No	No	No	No	No	Yes Transgender people allowed to change legal gender, but only after sex reassignment surgery.
Cyprus	Yes Legal since 1998 + UN decl. sign.	Yes Civil cohabitation since 2015	No	No	Yes	Yes Bans some anti-gay discrimination	Yes Forbids some discrimination based on gender identity. No Gender change is not legal.
Egypt	Yes/ No Ambiguous. Male de jure legal, but de facto illegal since 2000 Penalty: Up to 17 years imprisonment with or without hard labour and with or without fines under broadly-written morality laws.	No	No	No	No	No	No
Georgia	Yes Legal since 2000 + UN decl. sign.	No	No Constitutional ban since 2018	No	Un­known	Yes Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Yes Requires sterilization and sex reassignment surgery for change
Iran	No Illegal Penalty: 74 lashes for immature men and death penalty for mature men (although there are documented cases of minors executed because of their sexual orientation). For women, 100 lashes for women of mature sound mind and if consenting. Death penalty offense after fourth conviction.	No	No	No	No	No	Yes Legal gender recognition legal if accompanied by a medical intervention
Iraq	No Re-criminalized in 2024. Penalty: Prison sentence between 10 and 15 years.	No	No	No	No	No	No
Israel	Yes Legal since 1963 (de facto), 1988 (de jure) + UN decl. sign.	Yes Unregistered cohabitation since 1994.	No/ Yes Foreign same-sex marriages are recognized and recorded in the population registry	No Permitted by law since 2008, but in practice not possible in nearly every case	Yes Since 1993; Includes transgender people	Yes Bans all anti-gay discrimination	No Almost full recognition of gender's ID without a surgery or medical intervention (Excluding changing gender and name in birth certificate) ; equal employment opportunity law bars discrimination based on gender identity
Jordan	Yes Legal	No	No	No	Un­known	No	Yes Allowed since 2014
Kuwait	No Male illegal Penalty: Fines or up to 6-year prison sentence. Yes Female always legal	No	No	No	No	No	No
Lebanon	Yes / No Ambiguous. Illegal under Article 534 of the Penal Code. Some judges have ruled not to prosecute individuals based on the law, however, this has not been settled by the Supreme Court and thus homosexuality is still illegal. However, a 2017 court ruling claims that it is legal, but the law against it is still in place. Penalty: Up to 1 year imprisonment (unenforced).	No	No	No	No	No	Yes Legal gender change allowed, but sex reassignment surgery required
Northern Cyprus (Disputed territory)	Yes Legal since 2014	No	No	No	No	Yes Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Yes Legal, requires surgery for change
Oman	No Illegal Penalty: Fines and prison sentence up to 3 years (only enforced when dealing with "public scandal").	No	No	No	No	No	No Laws against forms of gender expression.
Palestine	West Bank: Yes Legal Gaza: No consensus on legal applicability of British 1936 Sexual offences provisions to homosexual conduct	West Bank: No Gaza: No	No	No	Un­known	No	No
Qatar	No Illegal Penalty: Fines, up to 7 years imprisonment Death penalty for Muslims.	No	No	No	No	No	No
Saudi Arabia	No Illegal Penalty: Capital punishment, prison terms (indeterminate length, max. term unknown), flogging, fines, deportation	No	No	No	No	No	No Laws against forms of gender expression.
South Ossetia (Disputed territory)	Yes Legal	No	No	No	Un­known	No	Un­known
Syria	No Illegal Penalty: Up to 3 years imprisonment (Law de facto suspended)	No	No	No	No	No
Turkey	Yes Legal since 1858	No	No	No LGBT individuals may adopt, but not same-sex couples.	No	No	Yes Requires sterilisation and sex reassignment surgery for change
United Arab Emirates	No Illegal (unenforced): Prosecution only on complaint of husband or (male) legal guardian Penalty: Max – no upper limit, sentence at courts' discretion Min. – 6 months' imprisonment	No	No	No	No	No	No Sex reassignment surgery severely restricted to limited circumstances (mainly physical intersex traits), highly regulated by the state. Laws used against forms of gender expression.
Yemen	No Illegal (codified in 1994) Penalty: Unmarried men punished with 100 lashes of the whip or a maximum of one year of imprisonment, stoning for adultery is not enforced. Women punished up to three years of imprisonment.	No	No	No	No	No	No

South Asia

LGBT rights in:	Same-sex sexual activity	Recognition of same-sex unions	Same-sex marriage	Adoption by same-sex couples	LGBT people allowed to serve openly in military?	Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation	Laws concerning gender identity/expression
Afghanistan	No Illegal Penalty: Death penalty	No	No	No	No	No	No
Bangladesh	No Illegal since 1862 Penalty: 10 years to life imprisonment (Occasionally enforced).	No	No	No	No	No	A third gender option (hijra) besides male and female is available for a certain sect of third genders
Bhutan	Yes Legal since 2021	No	No	No	No	No	No
British Indian Ocean Territory (Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom)	Yes Legal since 2001 + UN decl. sign.	Yes Civil partnerships since 2005	Yes Legal since 2014	Un­known	Yes UK responsible for defense	Un­known	Un­known
India	Yes Legal since 2018	No/ Yes symboic live-In relationships exist	No	No	No	Yes/ No Discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity prohibited by court decision. No nationwide law.	Yes A third gender option (hijra) besides male and female is available; transgender people have a constitutional right to change gender, only after medical/surgical intervention
Maldives	No Illegal (codified in 2014) Penalty: Up to 8 years imprisonment, house arrest, lashings and fines. (unenforced) LGBTQ welcomed in tourist islands	No	No	No	No	No	No
Nepal	Yes Legal since 2007 + UN decl. sign.	No	No	No	Yes Since 2007	Yes/ No Limited protection since 2015	No Change to third gender "O" legal since 2007, unable to change to male or female
Pakistan	No Illegal since 1862 Penalty: 2 years to life sentence (Occasionally enforced).	No	No	No	No	Yes Transphobia illegal No Homophobia/biphobia is not illegal	Yes Right to change gender; transgender and intersex citizens have legal protections from all discrimination and harassment
Sri Lanka	No Illegal since 1885 Penalty: Up to 10 years imprisonment with fines. (Ruled unenforcable by the Supreme Court) Legalization proposed	No	No	No	No	No	Yes Transgender people allowed to change legal gender without surgery

East Asia

LGBT rights in:	Same-sex sexual activity	Recognition of relationships	Same-sex marriage	Adoption by same-sex couples	LGBT people allowed to serve openly in military?	Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation	Laws concerning gender identity/expression
China	Yes Legal since 1997	No/ Yes "Legal guardianship" since 2017	No	No	Yes can openly serve No open displays of affection	Yes Court has in some cases protected LGBT workers from employment discrimination. No protection codified in law	Yes legal gender change possible since 2002. Since 2022, legal gender change allowed with only partial sex reassignment surgery. Difficulty remains to change gender information on diplomas and degrees.
Hong Kong	Yes Legal since 1991	No/ Yes Same-sex marriages registered overseas for government benefits and taxation, and limited recognition of local cohabiting partners	No	No LGBT individuals may adopt, but not same-sex couples	The central government of China is responsible for the defense of Hong Kong.	Yes Bans some anti-gay discrimination (government discrimination only)	Yes Following a legal decision, may change gender marker after partial sex reassignment surgery.
Japan	Yes Legal since 1882 + UN decl. sign.	No * Symbolic recognition in some jurisdictions.	No Proposed in 2023	No	Yes The Japan Self-Defense Forces allow gay people to enlist.	No nationwide protections Yes some cities ban some anti-gay discrimination	Yes Transgender people allowed to change legal gender, but only after sex reassignment surgery
Macau	Yes Legal since 1996	No	No	No	The central government of China is responsible for the defence of Macau.	Yes Bans some anti-gay discrimination	Un­known
Mongolia	Yes Legal since 1993 + UN decl. sign.	No	No Constitutional ban since 1992	No	Un­known	Yes Bans some anti-gay discrimination	Yes Transgender people allowed to change legal gender but only after sex reassignment surgery
North Korea	Yes / No Ambiguous, punishable through Articles 193 and 262 regarding obscenity and decency laws. Penalty: Unknown	No	No	No	Yes can serve with 10-year celibacy required for all soldiers. No open displays of LGBT attitudes.	No	No
South Korea	Yes Legal + UN decl. sign.	No	No Proposed in 2023	No	No	Yes/ No Protection from discrimination varies by jurisdiction in some areas, including Seoul	Yes Transgender people allowed to change legal gender but usually requires sex reassignment surgery
Taiwan	Yes Legal		Legal since 2019	Yes Stepchild adoption since 2019 Yes Joint adoption legal since 2023	Yes	Yes Constitutionally bans all anti-gay discrimination from government; several laws banning anti-gay discrimination regarding education and employment.	Yes Transgender people allowed to change legal gender, but only after sex reassignment surgery.

Southeast Asia

LGBT rights in	Same-sex sexual activity	Recognition of relationships	Same-sex marriage	Adoption by same-sex couples	LGBT people allowed to serve openly in military?	Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation	Laws concerning gender identity/expression
Aceh (autonomous territory of Indonesia)	No Illegal Penalty: 100 strokes of the cane or 8 years in prison	No	No	No LGBT individuals may adopt, but not same-sex couples	No The central government of Indonesia is responsible for the defense of Aceh.	Yes Follows the law of the central Indonesian government.	Yes Follows the law of the central Indonesian government.
Brunei	No Illegal since 1908 Penalty: Death by stoning (in abeyance), 1 year imprisonment and 100 lashes for men. Caning and 10 years prison for women.	No	No	No	No	No	Laws prohibit forms of gender expression.
Cambodia	Yes Legal	No/ Yes Partnerships recognized in certain cities	No Constitutional ban since 1993	No	Un­known	No	No
East Timor	Yes Legal since 1975 + UN decl. sign.	No	No	Yes LGBT individuals may adopt but same-sex couples can not adopt	Un­known	Yes Bans some anti gay discrimination, Hate crime protections since 2009.	Un­known
Indonesia	Yes Legal (except in Aceh)	No	No	No LGBT individuals may adopt, but not same-sex couples	No Not explicitly prohibited by Law (de jure), Illegal (de facto)	Yes Limited protection following legal process by the authorities.	Yes Transgender people allowed to change legal gender, but only after sex reassignment surgery.
Laos	Yes Legal	No	No	No	Un­known	No	Un­known
Malaysia	No Illegal since 1871 Penalty: fines, prison sentence (2–20 years), or whippings.	No	No	No LGBT individuals may adopt, but not same-sex couples	No	No	No Generally impossible to change gender. However, a 2016 court ruling recognizes gender changes as fundamental constitutional rights Forms of gender expression are criminalized.
Myanmar	No Illegal since 1886 Penalty: Up to 20 years in prison (unenforced).	No	No	No	No	No	No
Philippines	Yes Legal + UN decl. sign.	No (Pending)	No (Pending)	No LGBT individuals may adopt, but not same-sex couples	Yes Since 2009	Yes/ No Bans some anti-gay discrimination in certain cities and provinces, including the City of Manila,Cebu City, Quezon City, and Davao City; Nationwide anti-bullying law for basic education students.	No Generally impossible to change legal gender. However in Cagandahan vs Philippines, allowed an intersex man to change his legal gender from female to male.
Singapore	Yes Legal since 2022	No	No	Ambiguous, a gay Singaporean man with a male partner in 2018 won an appeal in court to adopt a child that he fathered through a surrogate.	Yes	Yes Protections against anti-gay discrimination, harassment and violence	Yes Transgender people allowed to change legal gender, but only after sex reassignment surgery
Thailand	Yes Legal since 1956 + UN decl. sign.		Yes Pending for 2025	Yes Pending for 2025	Yes Since 2005	Yes Bans all anti-gay discrimination	No Yes Anti-discrimination protections for gender expression.
Vietnam	Yes Legal + UN decl. sign.	No	No	No LGBT individuals may adopt, not same-sex couples	Yes Irrespective of one's sexual orientation	Yes Bans some anti-gay discrimination	Yes Gender changes recognized and officially practised since 2017

Europe

Main article: LGBT rights in Europe

Tables:

European Union

Main article: LGBT rights in the European Union

LGBT rights in:	Same-sex sexual activity	Recognition of same-sex unions	Same-sex marriage	Adoption by same-sex couples	LGB people allowed to serve openly in military	Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation	Laws concerning gender identity/expression
European Union	Legal in all 27 member states	/ Recognized in 25/27 member states	/ Legal in 16/27 member states	/ Stepchild adoption legal in 20/27 member states; joint adoption legal in 17/27 member states	Legal in all member states	Membership requires a state to ban discrimination based on person's sexual orientation in employment. 4/27 states ban some anti-gay discrimination. 23/27 states ban all anti-gay discrimination	/ Legal in 25/27 member states

Central Europe

LGBT rights in:	Same-sex sexual activity	Recognition of same-sex unions	Same-sex marriage	Adoption by same-sex couples	LGB people allowed to serve openly in military	Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation	Laws concerning gender identity/expression
Austria	Legal since 1971; equal age of consent since 2002 + UN decl. sign.	Registered partnerships since 2010	Legal since 2019	Stepchild adoption since 2013; joint adoption since 2016	Includes transgender people	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Transgender people allowed to change gender without undergoing surgery
Czech Republic	Legal since 1962 (As part of Czechoslovakia); equal age of consent since 1990 + UN decl. sign.	Registered partnerships since 2006		Effective from January 1, 2025 “biological and partial step-child” adoption for same-sex couples, not full joint adoption.	Includes transgender people	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Legal recognition after sex reassignment surgery (with mandatory sterilisation)
Germany	Legal in East Germany since 1968 Legal in West Germany since 1969; equal age of consent since 1988 in East Germany and since 1994 in unified Germany + UN decl. sign.	Registered life partnerships from 2001 to 2017 (existing partnerships and new foreign partnerships still recognised)	Legal since 2017	Stepchild adoption since 2005; successive adoption since 2013; joint adoption legal since 2017	Includes transgender people	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Since November 1, 2024 self-determination of gender on a birth certificate.
Hungary	Legal since 1962; equal age of consent since 2002 + UN decl. sign.	Registered partnerships since 2009	Constitutional ban since 2012	Constitutional ban since 2020		Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Forbids discrimination based on gender identity Transgender people are not allowed to change gender since 2020.
Liechtenstein	Legal since 1989; equal age of consent since 2001 + UN decl. sign.	Registered partnerships since 2011	Effective from January 1, 2025	Stepchild adoption since 2022; joint adoption since 2023	Has no military	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Gender change is not legal
Poland	Legal since 1932 + UN decl. sign.	/ Unregistered cohabitation since 2012; registered partnership proposed 2019	Constitutional ban since 1997 (Article 18 of the Constitution is generally interpreted as limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples)	LGBT individuals may adopt, but not same-sex couples		Bans some anti-gay discrimination	Transgender people allowed to change gender. No provisions for nonbinary people.
Slovakia	Legal since 1962 (As part of Czechoslovakia); equal age of consent since 1990 + UN decl. sign.	/ some limited rights for unregistered cohabiting same-sex couples since 2018; Limited residency rights for married same-sex couples since 2018 (Proposed)	Constitutional ban since 2014	LGBT individuals may adopt, but not same-sex couples		Bans all anti-gay discrimination	/ Allowed to change legal gender in theory. However because of lack of care and refusal by the state, de facto almost impossible since 2022. See LGBT rights in Slovakia § Gender identity and expression
Slovenia	Legal since 1977 (As part of Yugoslavia); equal age of consent since 1990 + UN decl. sign.	Registered cohabitation since 2006; Registered partnerships since 2017	Legal since 2022	Stepchild adoption since 2011; joint adoption since 2022		Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Gender change is legal
Switzerland	Legal nationwide since 1942 Legal in the cantons of Geneva (as part of France), Ticino, Valais, and Vaud since 1798; equal age of consent since 1990 + UN decl. sign.	Registered partnerships in Geneva (2001), Zürich (2003), Neuchâtel (2004) and Fribourg (2005) Nationwide since 2007	Legal since 2022	Stepchild adoption since 2018; joint adoption since 2022	Includes transgender people	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Gender change is legal on simple declaration (self-determination +16 yo); surgery/sterilisation not required.

Eastern Europe

LGBT rights in:	Same-sex sexual activity	Recognition of same-sex unions	Same-sex marriage	Adoption by same-sex couples	LGB people allowed to serve openly in military	Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation	Laws concerning gender identity/expression
Abkhazia (Disputed territory)	Legal after 1991
Armenia	Legal since 2003 + UN decl. sign.		Constitutional ban since 2015	LGBT individuals may adopt, but not same-sex couples.
Azerbaijan	Legal since 2000
Belarus	Legal since 1994		Constitutional ban since 1994		/ Banned from military service during peacetime, but during wartime homosexuals are permitted to enlist as partially able		/ (Highly bureaucratic, lengthy two-stage process: deciding body meets only twice a year; permission for medical or surgical interventions only at the second stage. Flaw in passport conversion whereby passport number may reveal former designation of sex to agencies.)
Georgia	Legal since 2000 + UN decl. sign.		Constitutional ban since 2018			Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Requires sterilisation and surgery for change
Kazakhstan	Legal since 1998						Requires sex reassignment surgery, sterilization, hormone therapy and medical examinations
Moldova	Legal since 1995 + UN decl. sign.		Constitutional ban since 1994			Bans all anti-gay discrimination	No longer requires sterilisation or surgery for change since 2017
Russia	Male legal since 1993 Female always legal Illegal in practice in Chechnya, where homosexuals are abducted and sent to concentration camps based on their perceived sexual orientation.		Constitutional ban since 2020				Gender change has not been legal since 2023
South Ossetia (Disputed territory)	Legal after 1991
Transnistria (Disputed territory)	Legal since 2002
Ukraine	Legal since 1991 + UN decl. sign.		Constitutional ban since 1996	LGBT individuals may adopt, but not same-sex couples		Bans some anti-gay discrimination	No longer requires sterilisation or surgery for change since 2016

Northern Europe

LGBT rights in:	Same-sex sexual activity	Recognition of same-sex unions	Same-sex marriage	Adoption by same-sex couples	LGBT people allowed to serve openly in military	Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation	Laws concerning gender identity/expression
Denmark	Legal since 1933; equal age of consent since 1973 + UN decl. sign.	Registered partnerships from 1989 to 2012 (existing partnerships are still recognised)	Legal since 2012	Stepchild adoption since 1999; joint adoption since 2010	Includes transgender people	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Legal gender change and recognition possible without surgery or hormone therapy
Estonia	Legal since 1992 + UN decl. sign.	Cohabitation agreement since 2016	Legal since 2024	Stepchild adoption since 2016; joint adoption since 2024	Includes transgender people	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Gender reassignment legal; surgery not required
Faroe Islands (Autonomous Territory within the Kingdom of Denmark)	Legal since 1933; equal age of consent since 1977 + UN decl. sign.		Legal since 2017	Legal since 2017	The Kingdom of Denmark responsible for defence	Bans some anti-gay discrimination
Finland (includes Åland)	Legal since 1971; equal age of consent since 1999 + UN decl. sign.	Registered partnerships from 2002 to 2017 (existing partnerships are still recognised)	Legal since 2017	Stepchild adoption since 2009; joint adoption since 2017	Includes transgender people	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Since 2023, by way of self-determination.
Iceland	Legal since 1940; equal age of consent since 1992 (As part of Denmark) + UN decl. sign.	Registered cohabitation since 2006; Registered partnerships from 1996 to 2010 (existing partnerships are still recognised)	Legal since 2010	Legal since 2006	No standing army	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Documents can be amended to the recognised gender, sterilisation not required
Latvia	Legal since 1992 + UN decl. sign.	Registered partnerships since 2024	Constitutional ban since 2006	LGBT individuals may adopt, but not same-sex couples, incl. stepchild adoption		Bans some anti-gay discrimination	Legal change allowed but requires "full" transition and doctor's or court's approval. Sterilization required.
Lithuania	Legal since 1993 + UN decl. sign.	/ Limited residency rights for married same-sex couples since 2018; Cohabitation agreement pending Civil unions proposed.	Constitutional ban since 1992	Only married couples can adopt	Since 2015	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Effective from 2/2/2022, gender change on legal documents permitted without surgery and no non-binary option available.
Norway	Legal since 1972 + UN decl. sign.	Registered partnerships from 1993 to 2009 (existing partnerships are still recognised)	Legal since 2009	Stepchild adoption since 2002; joint adoption since 2009	Includes transgender people	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	All documents can be amended to the recognised gender
Sweden	Legal since 1944; equal age of consent since 1972 + UN decl. sign.	Registered partnerships from 1995 to 2009 (existing partnerships are still recognised)	Legal since 2009	Legal since 2003	Includes transgender people	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	/ First country within the world in 1972 to allow gender reassignment procedures for individuals. Effective from July 1, 2025 by self-determination for individuals to change gender.

Southern Europe

LGBT rights in:	Same-sex sexual activity	Recognition of same-sex unions	Same-sex marriage	Adoption by same-sex couples	LGBT people allowed to serve openly in military	Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation	Laws concerning gender identity/expression
Akrotiri and Dhekelia (Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom)	Legal since 2000; equal age of consent since 2003 + UN decl. sign.	Since 2005, for members of the British Armed Forces	Since 2014, for members of the British Armed Forces		UK responsible for defence	Bans some anti-gay discrimination
Albania	Legal since 1995 + UN decl. sign.					Bans all anti-gay discrimination	No legal recognition
Andorra	Legal since 1791 + UN decl. sign.	Stable unions since 2005; Civil unions from 2014–2023, replaced by civil marriage	Legal since 2023	Legal since 2014	Has no military	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Since 2023, without SRS and sterilization - but with a mandatory 2-year waiting period.
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Legal since 1996 in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in Republika Srpska since 1998, and in Brčko District since 2003 + UN decl. sign.					Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Requires surgery for change
Bulgaria	Legal since 1968; equal age of consent since 2002 + UN decl. sign.	/ Limited residency rights for married same-sex couples since 2018	Constitutional ban since 1991	LGBT individuals may adopt, but not same-sex couples		Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Forbids discrimination based on gender identity. Transgender people are not allowed to change gender since 2017.
Croatia	Legal since 1977 (As part of Yugoslavia); equal age of consent since 1998 + UN decl. sign.	Unregistered cohabitation since 2003 Life partnerships since 2014	Constitutional ban since 2013	Legal since 2022		Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Act on the elimination of discrimination bans all discrimination based on both gender identity and gender expression. Gender change is regulated by special policy issued by Ministry of Health.
Cyprus	Legal since 1998; equal age of consent since 2002 + UN decl. sign.	Civil cohabitation since 2015				Bans some anti-gay discrimination	Forbids some discrimination based on gender identity. Gender change not legal.
Gibraltar (Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom)	Legal since 1993; equal age of consent since 2012 + UN decl. sign.	Civil partnerships since 2014	Legal since 2016	Legal since 2014	UK responsible for defence	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Forbids discrimination on the grounds of gender reassignment Gender change is not legal
Greece	Legal since 1951; equal age of consent since 2015 + UN decl. sign.	Cohabitation agreements since 2015	Legal since 2024	Legal since 2024		Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Under the Legal Gender Recognition Act 2017
Italy	Legal since 1890 + UN decl. sign.	Civil unions since 2016	In 2018 the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriages performed abroad must be registered as civil unions. (Proposed)	/ Stepchild adoption admitted by the Court of Cassation since 2016		Bans some anti-gay discrimination	Legal recognition and documents can be amended to the recognised gender, sterilisation not required
Kosovo (Disputed territory)	Legal since 1994 (as part of Yugoslavia); equal age of consent since 2004			LGBT individuals may adopt, but not same-sex couples		Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Forbids discrimination based on gender identity. No legal recognition
Malta	Legal since 1973 + UN decl. sign.	Civil unions since 2014	Legal since 2017	Legal since 2014		Bans all anti-gay discrimination Pathologization or attempted treatment of sexual orientation by mental health professionals illegal since 2016	Transgender people allowed to change gender; surgery not required since 2015
Montenegro	Legal since 1977 (As part of Yugoslavia) + UN decl. sign.	Life partnership from July 2021	Constitutional ban since 2007 (Court decision pending)			Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Requires sterilisation and surgery for change
North Macedonia	Legal since 1996 + UN decl. sign.	(Proposed)				Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Forbids discrimination based on gender identity. Gender change is legally recognized since 2021
Northern Cyprus (Disputed territory)	Legal since 2014					Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Legal, requires surgery for change
Portugal	Legal since 1983; equal age of consent since 2007 + UN decl. sign.	De facto unions since 2001	Legal since 2010	Legal since 2016		Bans all anti-gay discrimination	All documents can be amended to the recognised gender since 2011
Romania	Legal since 1996; equal age of consent since 2002 + UN decl. sign.	/ Limited residency rights for married same-sex couples since 2018;		LGBT individuals may adopt, but not same-sex couples		Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Legal recognition after sex reassignment surgery (sterilisation mandatory)
San Marino	Legal since 1865 + UN decl. sign.	Civil unions since 2019		/ Stepchild adoption legal since 2019		Bans all anti-gay discrimination	No legal recognition
Serbia	Legal from 1858, when nominally a vassal of the Ottoman Empire to 1860, and again since 1994 (As part of Yugoslavia); equal age of consent since 2006 + UN decl. sign.	(Proposed)	Constitutional ban since 2006	LGBT individuals may adopt, but not same-sex couples		Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Legal after 1 year of hormone therapy, surgery no longer required since 2019
Spain	Legal since 1979 + UN decl. sign.	De facto unions in Catalonia (1998), Aragon (1999), Navarre (2000), Castilla–La Mancha (2000), Valencia (2001), the Balearic Islands (2001), Madrid (2001), Asturias (2002), Castile and León (2002), Andalusia (2002), the Canary Islands (2003), Extremadura (2003), Basque Country (2003), Cantabria (2005), Galicia (2008) La Rioja (2010), and Murcia (2018), and in both autonomous cities; Ceuta (1998) and Melilla (2008).	Legal since 2005	Legal since 2005	Includes transgender people	Bans all anti-gay discrimination Pathologization or attempted treatment of sexual orientation by mental health professionals illegal nationwide since 2023.	Since 2023, by way of self-determination
Turkey	Legal since 1858						Legal since 1988, requires sterilisation and surgery for change
Vatican City	Legal since 1890 (As part of Italy)				Has no military

Western Europe

LGBT rights in:	Same-sex sexual activity	Recognition of same-sex unions	Same-sex marriage	Adoption by same-sex couples	LGB people allowed to serve openly in military	Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation	Laws concerning gender identity/expression
Belgium	Legal nationwide since 1795; equal age of consent since 1985 + UN decl. sign.	Legal cohabitation since 2000	Legal since 2003	Legal since 2006	Includes transgender people	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Since 2018, sex changes do not require sterilisation and surgery
France	Legal nationwide since 1791 Legal in Savoy since 1792; equal age of consent since 1982 + UN decl. sign.	Civil solidarity pact since 1999	Legal since 2013	Legal since 2013	Includes transgender people	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Since 2017, sex changes no longer requires sterilisation and surgery
Guernsey (Crown Dependency of the United Kingdom)	Legal since 1983; equal age of consent since 2012 + UN decl. sign.	Civil partnerships performed in the UK abroad recognised for succession purposes in inheritance and other matters respecting interests in property since 2012 Legal cohabitation since 2017	Legal since 2017 in Guernsey, since 2018 in Alderney, and since 2020 in Sark	Legal since 2017	UK responsible for defence	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Legal gender changes since 2007
Ireland	Male legal since 1993 Female always legal + UN decl. sign.	Civil partnerships from 2011 to 2015 (existing partnerships are still recognised)	Legal since 2015 after a constitutional referendum	Legal since 2017	Includes transgender people	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Under the Gender Recognition Act 2015, by self-declaration.
Isle of Man; equal age of consent since 2006 (Crown Dependency of the United Kingdom)	Legal since 1992 + UN decl. sign.	Civil partnerships since 2011	Legal since 2016	Legal since 2011	UK responsible for defence	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Transgender people are allowed to change their legal gender and to have their new gender recognised as a result of the Gender Recognition Act 2009 (c.11)
Jersey; equal age of consent since 2006 (Crown Dependency of the United Kingdom)	Legal since 1990 + UN decl. sign.	Civil partnerships since 2012	Legal since 2018	Legal since 2012	UK responsible for defence	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Under the Gender Recognition (Jersey) Law 2010
Luxembourg	Legal since 1795; equal age of consent since 1992 + UN decl. sign.	Registered partnerships since 2004	Legal since 2015	Legal since 2015		Bans all anti-gay discrimination	No divorce, sterilization and/or surgery legally required since September 2018 for change of gender
Monaco	Legal since 1793 + UN decl. sign.	Cohabitation agreements since 2020	(Proposed)		France responsible for defence	Bans some anti-gay discrimination
Netherlands	Legal since 1811; equal age of consent since 1971 + UN decl. sign.	Registered partnership since 1998	Legal since 2001	Legal since 2001	Includes transgender people	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Since 2014, sex changes do not require sterilisation and surgery
United Kingdom	Female always legal. Male legal in England and Wales since 1967, in Scotland since 1981, and in Northern Ireland since 1982; equal age of consent since 2001 + UN decl. sign.	Civil partnerships since 2005	Legal in England, Wales, and Scotland since 2014, and Northern Ireland since 2020	Legal in England and Wales since 2005, in Scotland since 2009 and Northern Ireland since 2013	Since 2000; Includes transgender people	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Under the Gender Recognition Act 2004

Oceania

Main article: LGBT rights in Oceania

Tables:

Australasia

LGBT rights in:	Same-sex sexual activity	Recognition of same-sex unions	Same-sex marriage	Adoption by same-sex couples	LGBT people allowed to serve openly in military?	Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation	Laws concerning gender identity/expression
Australia (including territories of Christmas Island, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Norfolk Island)	Always legal for women. Male legal in some states and territories since 1975, nationwide since 1997. Tasmania was the last state to legalise male homosexuality; Equal age of consent in some states and territories since 1975, nationwide since 2016. + UN decl. sign.	Unregistered cohabitation nationally since 2009; Domestic partnerships in Tasmania (2004), South Australia (2007), Victoria (2008), New South Wales (2010), and Queensland (2012); Civil unions in the Australian Capital Territory (2012)	Legal since 2017	Legal nationwide since 2018	Gay men and lesbians since 1992; Transgender and intersex people since 2010	Bans all anti-gay discrimination.	Different regulations within each jurisdiction on change of sex. NSW explicitly legally requires sexual reassignment surgery to change sex on a birth certificate, since 1996.
New Zealand	Legal since 1986 + UN decl. sign.	Unregistered cohabitation since 2002; Civil unions since 2005	Legal since 2013	Legal since 2013	Since 1993; Includes transgender people	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Covered under the "sex discrimination" provision of the Human Rights Act 1993; From July 2023, change of sex on a birth certificate by self-determination.

Melanesia

LGBT rights in:	Same-sex sexual activity	Recognition of same-sex unions	Same-sex marriage	Adoption by same-sex couples	LGBT people allowed to serve openly in military?	Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation	Laws concerning gender identity/expression
Fiji	Legal since 2010 + UN decl. sign.					Bans all anti-gay discrimination Pathologization or attempted treatment of sexual orientation by mental health professionals illegal since 2010
Indonesia	Legal (except in Aceh)					Limited protection following legal process by the authorities.	Transgender people allowed to change legal gender, but only after sex reassignment surgery.
New Caledonia (Special collectivity of France)	Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity have ever existed in the collectivity) + UN decl. sign.	Civil solidarity pact since 2009	Legal since 2013	Legal since 2013	France responsible for defence	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Under French law
Papua New Guinea	Male illegal Penalty: 3 to 14 years imprisonment (Rarely enforced, legalization proposed). Female always legal
Solomon Islands	Illegal Penalty: Up to 14 years imprisonment (Not enforced, Legalization proposed).				Has no military
Vanuatu	Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity have ever existed since independence) + UN decl. sign.					Bans some anti-gay discrimination

Micronesia

LGBT rights in:	Same-sex sexual activity	Recognition of same-sex unions	Same-sex marriage	Adoption by same-sex couples	LGBT people allowed to serve openly in military?	Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation	Laws concerning gender identity/expression	Lack of a Presence of Anti-LGBT laws
Guam (Unincorporated territory of the United States)	Legal since 1978	Since 2015	Legal since 2015	Legal since 2002	United States responsible for defense	Bans some anti-gay discrimination	Allowed to legally change gender, but requires sex reassignment surgery
Micronesia	Legal + UN decl. sign.				Has no military	Bans all anti-gay discrimination
Kiribati	Male illegal Penalty: 5-14 years imprisonment (Not enforced, Legalization proposed). Female legal				Has no military	Bans some anti-gay discrimination
Marshall Islands	Legal since 2005 + UN decl. sign.				Has no military	Bans all anti-gay discrimination
Nauru	Legal since 2016 + UN decl. sign.				Has no military	Pathologization or attempted treatment of sexual orientation by mental health professionals illegal since 2016
Northern Mariana Islands (Unincorporated territory of the United States)	Legal since 1983	Since 2015	Legal since 2015	Legal since 2015	United States responsible for defense	Bans some anti-gay discrimination	Under the Vital Statistics Act of 2006
Palau	Legal since 2014 + UN decl. sign.		Constitutional ban since 2008		Has no military
United States Minor Outlying Islands (Unincorporated territories of the United States)	Legal		Legal	Legal	United States responsible for defense

Polynesia

LGBT rights in:	Same-sex sexual activity	Recognition of same-sex unions	Same-sex marriage	Adoption by same-sex couples	LGBT people allowed to serve openly in military?	Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation	Laws concerning gender identity/expression
American Samoa (Unincorporated territory of the United States)	Legal since 1980	/ Same-sex marriages recognized but not performed under Respect for Marriage Act since 2022.	/ Same-sex marriages recognized but not performed under Respect for Marriage Act since 2022.		United States responsible for defense
Cook Islands (Part of the Realm of New Zealand)	Legal since 2023 + UN decl. sign.				New Zealand responsible for defence	Bans some anti-gay discrimination
Easter Island (Special territory of Chile)	Legal since 1999 + UN decl. sign.	Civil unions since 2015	Since 2022	Since 2022	Chile responsible for defence	Bans all anti-gay discrimination Pathologization or attempted treatment of sexual orientation by mental health professionals illegal since 2021	Transgender persons can change their legal gender and name since 1974. No surgeries or judicial order since 2019.
French Polynesia (Overseas collectivity of France)	Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity have ever existed in the collectivity) + UN decl. sign.	Since 2013	Legal since 2013	Legal since 2013	France responsible for defence	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Under French law
Hawaii (Constituent state of the United States)	Since 1972	Since 1997	Since 2013	Since 2012	United States responsible for defence	Bans all anti-gay discrimination
Niue (Part of the Realm of New Zealand)	Male illegal Penalty: 5-10 years imprisonment. (Not enforced, Legalization proposed). Female legal + UN decl. sign.				New Zealand responsible for defence
Pitcairn Islands (Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom)	Legal since 2001 + UN decl. sign.	Since 2015	Legal since 2015	Legal since 2015	UK responsible for defence	Constitutional ban on all anti-gay discrimination
Samoa	Male illegal Penalty: 5-7 years imprisonment (Not enforced). Legalization proposed Female always legal + UN decl. sign.				Has no military	Bans some anti-gay discrimination Pathologization or attempted treatment of sexual orientation by mental health professionals illegal since 2007	Samoa has a large transgender or "third-gender" community called the fa'afafine. They are a recognized part of traditional Samoan customs.
Tokelau (Dependent territory of the Realm of New Zealand)	Legal since 2003 + UN decl. sign.				New Zealand responsible for defence
Tonga	Male illegal Penalty: Up to 10 years imprisonment (Not enforced, Legalization proposed). Female always legal
Tuvalu	Male illegal Penalty: Up to 14 years imprisonment (Not enforced). Legalization proposed Female legal + UN decl. sign.		Consitutional ban since 2023		Has no military	Bans some anti-gay discrimination
Wallis and Futuna (Overseas collectivity of France)	Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity have ever existed in the collectivity) + UN decl. sign.	Civil solidarity pact since 2009	Legal since 2013	Legal since 2013	France responsible for defence	Bans all anti-gay discrimination	Under French law

See also

• Buggery
• Civil rights movement
• Civil union
• Heterosexism
• Homophobia

• List of LGBT rights articles by region
• Religion and homosexuality
• Same-sex marriage
• Sexual Revolution
• Socialism and LGBT rights
• Status of same-sex marriage

External links

• International Lesbian and Gay Association
  • Map on LGBTI rights around the world — 2008 version
  • State-sponsored Homophobia — 2008 edition of worldwide survey of homosexuality laws
  • State-sponsored Homophobia — 2009 edition of worldwide survey of homosexuality laws
• Template:DMOZ
• Amnesty International USA: LGBT legal status around the world — interactive map
• GayLawNet: Laws — information by country
• International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission
  • Regional Information — press releases, etc. on updates of various countries
  • Resource links — for researching legal information

Template:Lists by country