Gay rights in Sweden

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Contents 1 Laws against homosexuals 2 Protection based on sexual orientation in law 3 Recognition of same sex couples 4 Gay life in the country 5 See also 6 External link 7 Notes

[edit] Laws against homosexuals

Homosexuality was legalised in 1944. In 1987 a law against sex in saunas was created to prohibit the spread of HIV, but it was repealed in 2004. Homosexuals are not banned from Military Service.

[edit] Protection based on sexual orientation in law

The Swedish Constitution bans discrimination on grounds of "sexual orientation"^[1]. In 1987 discrimination against gay men and lesbians was included in the section of the penal code which deals with discrimination on grounds of race, etc. And since 2002 the portal section of the constitution bans discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation.

The Swedish Ombudsman against Discrimination on Grounds of Sexual Orientation (Ombudsmannen mot diskriminering på grund av sexuell läggning), normally referred to as HomO, is the Swedish office of the ombudsman against discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation. HomO is the most recently instituted Swedish ombudsman, in the sense of a government official who addresses the complaints of individual citizens.

The term HomO is used both to refer to the office and as the title of its government-appointed acting head, at present HomO Hans Ytterberg. HomO investigates the grievances of individuals and files class action suits on their behalf, for example a recently successful action against a restaurant owner in Stockholm who had harassed a lesbian couple. The HomO office also takes a number of initiatives of its own and submits parliamentary proposals, most recently for a gender neutral marriage act.

[edit] Recognition of same sex couples

It has been possible for same-sex people to register their partnership since 1995.

Since 2002 those partnerships have been able to adopt children both from Sweden and outside the country. The bill is the product of 18 months of research which showed that gay couples are just as capable as their heterosexual counterparts of caring for and rearing a child. However, in practice the law has meant little since most of the adoption agencies have held a negative view on homosexuals as parents and many of the countries they have contact with are strongly against homosexuality; homosexual couples who has gone through the process of being thoroughly investigated by the social authorities and given a go-ahead signal has in the end been met with a cold hand.

In 2005, a new law was passed allowing lesbian couples to be treated for assisted insemination in public hospitals.

[edit] Gay life in the country

Sweden is generally very gay-friendly with a whole raft of legislation protecting gay and lesbian rights including anti-discrimination law and partnership registration.

The Swedish LGBT organisation RFSL was founded in 1950

[edit] See also

• RFSL

[edit] External link

• Official site for HomO (English)

[edit] Notes

1. ^ Regeringsformen, 1 chapter, 2 paragraph