| LGBT rights in the Isle of Man | |
|---|---|
Isle of Man |
|
| Same-sex sexual activity legal? | Legal since 1992, age of consent equal since 2006 |
| Adoption | Legal since 2011 |
| Military service | UK military since 2000 |
| Discrimination protections | Sexual orientation protections (see below) |
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in the Isle of Man over the past couple of years have become more liberal after years of lobbying, LGBT people have made progress in getting legal recognition (such as an equal age of consent and employment protection from discrimination in 2006, gender recognition in 2009 and both civil partnerships and the adoption of children in 2011), however same-sex marriage is still banned (just like the United Kingdom) and both hatred and prejudice are still around on the Isle of Man. Male homosexuality has been legal since 1992 on the Isle of Man.
Contents |
Prior to September 1992, Same-sex sexual activity was illegal, then after decriminalization, the age of consent was set at 21 (in line with the UK at that time); then in 2001, the age of consent for male homosexual acts was lowered to 18 under the Criminal Justice Act 2001 (c.4). In 2006 under the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2006 (c.3), the age of consent was lowered to 16, became gender-neutral for all sexual conduct; regardless of gender and/or sexual orientation.[1]
Transsexual persons are allowed to change their legal gender and to have their new gender recognised under the Gender Recognition Act 2009 (c.11).[2]
Today, civil marriage for same sex couples is banned under the Marriage and Civil Registration (Amendment) Act 2011 (c.3). However, civil partnerships are legal (in the same way as civil partnerships is recognised in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Jersey). The bill for legalization[3] passed all stages of both the House of keys and the Legislative Council and was signed into law on March 15, 2011. The Civil Partnership Act 2011 (c2) took effect on April 6, 2011.[4][5][6]
Under the Civil Partnership Act 2011 (c.2), same-sex couples in the Isle of Man since April 6, 2011 are allowed equal access to full joint or step adoption in the same way as adoption for same sex couples is recognised in the United Kingdom - including England, Wales, Scotland, Jersey and Guernsey, but not Northern Ireland and Ireland.
Under the Employment Act 2006 (c.21), the Isle of Man adopted legislation that outlawed the dismissal of employees on the grounds of their sexual orientation and became effective from 1 September 2006.[7] At the time Isle of Man LGBT reports that the government at the time was "falling behind" in line with European Human Rights decisions.[8]
| Same-sex sexual activity | (since 1992) |
| Equal age of consent | (since 2006) |
| Anti-discrimination laws in employment only | (since 2006) |
| Anti-discrimination laws in the provision of goods and services | (since 2006) |
| Anti-discrimination laws in all other areas (including indirect discrimination) | (since 2006) |
| Recognition of same-sex couples as civil partnerships | (since 2011) |
| Adoption by same-sex couples | (since 2011) |
| Gays allowed to serve in the military | (under UK military since 2000) |
| Right to change legal gender | (since 2007) |
| Access to IVF for lesbians | (under UK Human Fertility Services Network since 2009) |
| Civil marriage for same sex couples | (banned since 2011) |
| Men who have sex with men (MSM) allowed to donate blood | (policy under review) |
|
||||||||||||||||