LGBT rights by country or territory

Worldwide laws regarding same-sex intercourse and freedom of expression and association

	Same-sex intercourse legal		Same-sex intercourse illegal
	Marriage1		Unenforced penalty2
	Marriage recognized but not performed1		Imprisonment
	Civil unions1		Up to life in prison
	Unregistered cohabitation1		Death penalty
	Same-sex unions not recognized
	Laws restricting freedom of expression and association

Rings indicate areas where local judges have granted or denied marriages or imposed the death penalty in a jurisdiction where that is not otherwise the law or areas with a case-by-case application.
¹Some jurisdictions in this category may currently have other types of partnerships.
²No arrests in the past three years or moratorium on law.

LGBT rights at the United Nations

---

	Support	Countries which have signed a General Assembly declaration of LGBT rights or sponsored the Human Rights Council's 2011 resolution on LGBT rights (initially 96 members, now 99 members).
	Oppose	Countries which signed a 2008 statement opposing LGBT rights (initially 57 members, now 54 members).
	Neither	Countries which, as regards the UN, have expressed neither official support nor opposition to LGBT rights (44 members).
	Non-UN member	Countries that are not members of the UN.

Laws affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people 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 romantic/sexual activity or identity.

LGBT rights are considered human rights by Amnesty International^[1] and civil rights by some.^[2] LGBT rights laws include, but are not limited to, the following:

• government recognition of same-sex relationships (such as via same-sex marriage or similar unions)
• allowing LGBT adoption
• recognition of LGBT parenting
• anti-bullying legislation and student non-discrimination laws to protect LGBT children and students
• immigration equality laws
• anti-discrimination laws for employment and housing
• hate crime laws providing enhanced criminal penalties for prejudice-motivated violence against LGBT people
• equal age of consent laws
• equal access to assisted reproductive technology
• access to sex reassignment surgery and hormone replacement therapy
• legal recognition and accommodation of reassigned gender
• laws related to sexual orientation and military service
• allowing men who have sex with men to donate blood

As of March 2017, 22 countries, most of them located in the Americas and Western Europe,^{[lower-alpha 1]} recognize same-sex marriage and grant most of (if not all) the other rights listed above to its LGBT citizens.

Anti-LGBT laws include, but are not limited to, the following: sodomy laws penalizing consensual same-sex sexual activity with fines, jail terms, or the death penalty; anti-"lesbianism" laws; and higher ages of consent for same-sex activity.

In 2011, the United Nations Human Rights Council passed its first resolution recognizing LGBT rights, which was followed up with a report from the UN Human Rights Commission documenting violations of the rights of LGBT people, including hate crime, criminalization of homosexuality, and discrimination. Following up on the report, the UN Human Rights Commission urged all countries which had not yet done so to enact laws protecting basic LGBT rights.^[3][4]

As of May 2016, 16 countries have an unequal age of consent law.^[5]

As of August 2016, 72 countries as well as five sub-national jurisdictions^{[lower-alpha 7]} have laws criminalizing homosexuality,^[5] with most of them located in Asia and Africa. In 2006 that number was 92.^[5]

History of LGBT-related laws

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Ancient Celts

According to Aristotle, although most "belligerent nations" were strongly influenced by their women, the Celts were unusual because their men openly preferred male lovers (Politics II 1269b).^[6][7] H. D. Rankin in Celts and the Classical World notes that "Athenaeus echoes this comment (603a) and so does Ammianus (30.9). It seems to be the general opinion of antiquity."^[7] In book XIII of his Deipnosophists, the Roman Greek rhetorician and grammarian Athenaeus, repeating assertions made by Diodorus Siculus in the 1st century BC (Bibliotheca historica 5:32), wrote that Celtic women were beautiful but that the men preferred to sleep together. Diodorus went further, stating that "the young men will offer themselves to strangers and are insulted if the offer is refused". Rankin argues that the ultimate source of these assertions is likely to be Poseidonius and speculates that these authors may be recording "some kind of bonding ritual ... which requires abstinence from women at certain times".^[7]

Ancient India

Throughout Hindu and Vedic texts there are many descriptions of saints, demigods, and even the Supreme Lord transcending gender norms and manifesting multiple combinations of sex and gender.^[8] There are several instances in ancient Indian epic poetry of same sex depictions and unions by gods and goddesses. There are several stories depicting love between those of the same sex, especially among kings and queens. Kamasutra, the ancient Indian treatise on love talks about feelings for same sexes. Transsexuals are also venerated e.g. Lord Vishnu as Mohini and Lord Shiva as Ardhanarishwara (which means half woman).^[9]

Ancient West Asia

Ancient Israel

The ancient Law of Moses (the Torah) forbids men lying with men (intercourse) in Leviticus 18 and gives a story of attempted homosexual rape in Genesis in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, the cities being soon destroyed after that. The death penalty was prescribed. In Deuteronomy 22:5, cross-dressing is condemned as being "abominable".

Ancient Persia

In Persia homosexuality and homoerotic expressions were tolerated in numerous public places, from monasteries and seminaries to taverns, military camps, bathhouses, and coffee houses. In the early Safavid era (1501–1723), male houses of prostitution (amrad khane) were legally recognized and paid taxes. Persian poets, such as Sa’di (d. 1291), Hafiz (d. 1389), and Jami (d. 1492), wrote poems replete with homoerotic allusions. The two most commonly documented forms were commercial sex with transgender young males or males enacting transgender roles exemplified by the köçeks and Sufi spiritual practices in which the practitioner admired the form of a beautiful boy in order to enter ecstatic states and glimpse the beauty of God.

Ancient Mesopotamia

In Assyrian society, sex crimes were punished identically whether they were homosexual or heterosexual.^[10] An individual faced no punishment for penetrating someone of equal social class, a cult prostitute, or with someone whose gender roles were not considered solidly masculine.^[10][11] Such sexual relations were even seen as good fortune.^[12] However, homosexual relationships with fellow soldiers, slaves, royal attendants, or those where a social better was submissive or penetrated, were treated as bad omens.^[13][14] Middle Assyrian Law Codes dating 1075 BC has a particularly harsh law for homosexuality in the military, which reads: "If a man have intercourse with his brother-in-arms, they shall turn him into a eunuch."^[15][16][17]

Ancient Rome

The "conquest mentality" of the ancient Romans shaped Roman homosexual practices.^[18] In the Roman Republic, a citizen's political liberty was defined in part by the right to preserve his body from physical compulsion or use by others;^[19] for the male citizen to submit his body to the giving of pleasure was considered servile.^[20] As long as a man played the penetrative role, it was socially acceptable and considered natural for him to have same-sex relations, without a perceived loss of his masculinity or social standing.^[21] The bodies of citizen youths were strictly off-limits, and the Lex Scantinia imposed penalites on those who committed a sex crime (stuprum) against a freeborn male minor.^[22] Acceptable same-sex partners were males excluded from legal protections as citizens: slaves, male prostitutes, and the infames, entertainers or others who might be technically free but whose lifestyles set them outside the law.

"Homosexual" and "heterosexual" were thus not categories of Roman sexuality, and no words exist in Latin that would precisely translate these concepts.^[23] A male citizen who willingly performed oral sex or received anal sex was disparaged, but there is only limited evidence of legal penalties against these men, who were presumably "homosexual" in the modern sense.^[24] In courtroom and political rhetoric, charges of effeminacy and passive sexual behaviors were directed particularly at "democratic" politicians (populares) such as Julius Caesar and Mark Antony.^[25]

Roman law addressed the rape of a male citizen as early as the 2nd century BC, when a ruling was issued in a case that may have involved a man of same-sex orientation. It was ruled that even a man who was "disreputable and questionable" had the same right as other citizens not to have his body subjected to forced sex.^[26] A law probably dating to the dictatorship of Julius Caesar defined rape as forced sex against "boy, woman, or anyone"; the rapist was subject to execution, a rare penalty in Roman law.^[27] A male classified as infamis, such as a prostitute or actor, could not as a matter of law be raped, nor could a slave, who was legally classified as property; the slave's owner, however, could prosecute the rapist for property damage.^[28]

In the Roman army of the Republic, sex among fellow soldiers violated the decorum against intercourse with citizens and was subject to harsh penalties, including death,^[29] as a violation of military discipline.^[30] The Greek historian Polybius (2nd century BC) lists deserters, thieves, perjurers, and "those who in youth have abused their persons" as subject to the fustuarium, clubbing to death.^[31] Ancient sources are most concerned with the effects of sexual harassment by officers, but the young soldier who brought an accusation against his superior needed to show that he had not willingly taken the passive role or prostituted himself.^[32] Soldiers were free to have relations with their male slaves;^[33] the use of a fellow citizen-soldier's body was prohibited, not homosexual behaviors per se.^[34] By the late Republic and throughout the Imperial period, there is increasing evidence that men whose lifestyle marked them as "homosexual" in the modern sense served openly.^[35]

Although Roman law did not recognize marriage between men, and in general Romans regarded marriage as a heterosexual union with the primary purpose of producing children, in the early Imperial period some male couples were celebrating traditional marriage rites. Juvenal remarks with disapproval that his friends often attended such ceremonies.^[36] The emperor Nero had two marriages to men, once as the bride (with a freedman Pythagoras) and once as the groom. His consort Sporus appeared in public as Nero's wife wearing the regalia that was customary for the Roman empress.^[37]

Apart from measures to protect the prerogatives of citizens, the prosecution of homosexuality as a general crime began in the 3rd century of the Christian era when male prostitution was banned by Philip the Arab. By the end of the 4th century, after the Roman Empire had come under Christian rule, passive homosexuality was punishable by burning.^[38] "Death by sword" was the punishment for a "man coupling like a woman" under the Theodosian Code.^[39] Under Justinian, all same-sex acts, passive or active, no matter who the partners, were declared contrary to nature and punishable by death.^[40]

Congo

E. E. Evans-Pritchard recorded that in the past male Azande warriors in the northern Congo routinely took on young male lovers between the ages of twelve and twenty, who helped with household tasks and participated in intercrural sex with their older husbands. The practice had died out by the early 20th century, after Europeans had gained control of African countries, but was recounted to Evans-Pritchard by the elders to whom he spoke.^[41]

Feudal Japan

In feudal Japan, homosexuality was recognized, between equals (bi-do), in terms of pederasty (wakashudo), and in terms of prostitution. The younger partner in a pederastic relationship often was expected to make the first move; the opposite was true in ancient Greece. In religious circles, same-sex love spread to the warrior (samurai) class, where it was customary for a boy in the wakashū age category to undergo training in the martial arts by apprenticing to a more experienced adult man. The man was permitted, if the boy agreed, to take the boy as his lover until he came of age; this relationship, often formalized in a "brotherhood contract",^[42] was expected to be exclusive, with both partners swearing to take no other (male) lovers. The Samurai period was one in which homosexuality was seen as particularly positive. Later when Japanese society became pacified, the middle classes adopted many of the practices of the warrior class.

Lesotho

Anthropologists Stephen Murray and Will Roscoe reported that women in Lesotho engaged in socially sanctioned "long term, erotic relationships" called motsoalle.^[43]

Papua New Guinea

In Papua New Guinea, same-sex relationships were an integral part of the culture until the middle of the last century. The Etoro and Marind-anim for example, even viewed heterosexuality as wasteful and celebrated homosexuality instead. They believed that in sharing semen, they are sharing their life force, yet women simply wasted this force any time they didn't get pregnant after sex. In many traditional Melanesian cultures a prepubertal boy would be paired with an older adolescent who would become his mentor and who would "inseminate" him (orally, anally, or topically, depending on the tribe) over a number of years in order for the younger to also reach puberty.^[44]

Global LGBT rights maps

Laws regarding same-sex sexuality by country or territory.
Laws regarding same-sex sexuality by country or territory   Same-sex marriage   Other type of partnership (or unregistered cohabitation)   Foreign same-sex marriages recognized   No recognition of same-sex couples   Laws restricting freedom of expression and association   De jure penalty that is de facto not enforced   Imprisonment   Imprisonment (up to life sentence)   Up to death

LGBT rights at the United Nations

Support Countries which have signed a General Assembly declaration of LGBT rights and/or sponsored the Human Rights Council's 2011 resolution on LGBT rights (96 members)   Oppose Countries which signed a 2008 statement opposing LGBT rights (initially 57 members, now 54 members)   Neither Countries which, as regards the UN, have expressed neither official support nor opposition to LGBT rights (44 members)

Homosexual "propaganda" and "morality" laws by country or territory
Homosexual "propaganda" and "morality" laws by country or territory   Countries or territories that don't have homosexual "propaganda" or "morality" laws   Fine[45]   Unknown punishment   Imprisonment

Decriminalization of same-sex sexual intercourse by country or territory

Same-sex sexual intercourse always legal   1791–1800   1801–1810   1811–1820   1821–1830   1831–1840   1841–1850   1851–1860   1861–1870   1871–1880   1881–1890   1891–1900   1901–1910   1911–1920   1921–1930   1931–1940   1941–1950   1951–1960   1961–1970   1971–1980   1981–1990   1991–2000   2001–2010   2011–2020   Unknown date of legalization of same-sex intercourse   Male same-sex sexual intercourse illegal   Same-sex sexual intercourse illegal

Equalization of age of consent laws for same-sex couples by country or territory

1790–1829   1830–1839   1840–1859   1860–1869   1870–1879   1880–1889   1890–1929   1930–1939   1940–19491   1950–1959   1960–1969   1970–1979   1980–1989   1990–1999   2000–2009   2010-present   Unknown date for equal age of consent laws for opposite and same-sex couples   No consent laws/equal age of consent laws always equal for opposite and same-sex couples   Unequal age of consent laws for same-sex couples   Same-sex sexual intercourse illegal 1During World War II, Nazi Germany annexed territory or established reichskommissariats which extended Germany's laws against same-sex sexual intercourse to those territories and reichskommissariats. Age of consent was previously equalized for same-sex couples in the following countries or territories before German annexation or establishment of reichskommissariats: Belluno (legal in 1890), Friuli-Venezia Giulia (legal in 1890), Poland (legal in 1932), and Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol (legal in 1890). All countries and territories listed that where annexed or established into reichskommissariats by Nazi Germany during World War II where restored as independent countries or reincorporated into their previous countries during or after the war and thus re-legalized equal age of consent laws for same-sex couples in those areas.

Legal status of adoption by same-sex couples by country or territory
Joint adoption allowed1   Second-parent adoption allowed2   No laws allowing adoption by same-sex couples 1In Finland a law will come into force in 2017

LGBT service in national militaries by country or territory
All LGBT people can serve   GBT men can serve   LGB people can serve   GB men can serve   Ambiguous/unknown policy   LGBT people are banned from serving   No military

Employment discrimination laws by sexual orientation and/or gender identity by country or territory

Sexual orientation and gender identity: all employment   Sexual orientation with anti–employment discrimination ordinance and gender identity solely in public employment   Sexual orientation: all employment   Gender identity: all employment   Sexual orientation and gender identity: federal public employment and federal contractors   Sexual orientation and gender identity: public employment   Sexual orientation: public employment   No national-level employment laws covering sexual orientation and/or gender identity

Anti-discrimination laws covering goods and services by sexual orientation and/or gender identity by country or territory
Countries and territories with LGBT anti-discrimination laws in goods and services   Sexual orientation and gender identity covered   Sexual orientation covered   Gender identity covered   No national or local level anti-discrimination laws covering sexual orientation and/or gender identity in goods and services

Constitutional discrimination laws by sexual orientation and/or gender identity by country or territory
Sexual orientation and gender identity covered   Sexual orientation covered   Gender identity covered   No national or local level constitutional discrimination laws covering sexual orientation and/or gender identity

LGBT hate crime laws by country or territory
Sexual orientation and gender identity hate crime laws   Sexual orientation hate crime laws   No LGBT hate crime laws

Incitement to hatred based on sexual orientation and gender identity prohibited by country or territory
Incitement to hatred based on sexual orientation and gender identity prohibited   Incitement to hatred based on sexual orientation prohibited   No prohibition on incitement to hatred based on sexual orientation and gender identity

Ban on conversion therapy for minors on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity by country or territory
Ban on conversion therapy for minors on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity   No prohibition on conversion therapy for minors on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity

LGBT immigration equality by country or territory
Recognition of same-sex couples in national immigration laws   Unknown/ambiguous

Bans on same-sex unions by country or territory
No specific prohibition of same-sex marriages or unions   Statute bans same-sex marriage   Constitution bans same-sex marriage   Constitution bans same-sex marriage and equivalent/similar union

Blood donation policies for men who have sex with men by country or territory
Men who have sex with men may donate blood; No deferral   Men who have sex with men may donate blood; No deferral, except for blood transfusions1   Men who have sex with men may donate blood; Temporary deferral1   Men who have sex with men may not donate blood; Permanent deferral1   No Data 1No restriction in Israel, Belgium and the United States of America if last MSM activity was before 1977.

Blood donation policies for female sex partners of men who have sex with men by country or territory
Female sex partners of men who have sex with men may donate blood; No deferral   Female sex partners of men who have sex with men may donate blood; Temporary deferral   Female sex partners of men who have sex with men may not donate blood; Permanent deferral   No Data

Laws concerning gender identity-expression by country or territory
Legal identity change   No legal identity change   Unknown/Ambiguous

Legal recognition of non-binary genders and third gender
Nonbinary / third gender available as voluntary opt-in   Opt-in for intersex people only   Mandatory for some born intersex   Nonbinary / third gender not legally recognized / no data

LGBT-related laws by country or territory

Africa

List of countries or territories by 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 LGBT allowed to serve openly in military Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation Laws concerning gender identity/expression Algeria Illegal since 1966 Penalty: Fine and up to 2 years imprisonment.[5][46] Canary Islands (Autonomous community of Spain) Legal since 1979 + UN decl. sign.[5] De facto unions legal since 2003[47] Legal since 2005[48] Legal since 2005[49] (+automatic co-parent recognition)[50] Spain responsible for defence Bans all anti-gay discrimination[51] Since 2007, all documents can be amended to the recognised gender[52] Ceuta (Autonomous city of Spain) Legal since 1979 + UN decl. sign.[5] De facto union since 1998[53] Legal since 2005[54] Legal since 2005[55] Spain responsible for defence Bans all anti-gay discrimination[56] Since 2007, all documents can be amended to the recognised gender[57] Egypt Male 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 Female uncertain.[5][58] Libya Illegal since 1953[59] Madeira (Autonomous region of Portugal) Legal since 1983 + UN decl. sign.[5] De facto union since 2001[60][61] Legal since 2010[62] Legal since 2016 (+automatic co-parent recognition)[63][64][65] Bans all anti-gay discrimination.[51] Since 2011. All documents can be amended to the recognised gender.[66] Melilla (Autonomous city of Spain) Legal since 1979 + UN decl. sign.[5] De facto union since 2008[67] Legal since 2005[54] Legal since 2005[55] Spain responsible for defence Bans all anti-gay discrimination[56] Since 2007, all documents can be amended to the recognised gender[57] Morocco (Including Southern Provinces) Illegal since 1962 Penalty: Up to 3 years imprisonment.[5][68] Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (Excluding Southern Provinces) Illegal since 1944 (as part of the Overseas Province of Spanish Sahara) Penalty: Up to 3 years imprisonment[5][69][70] South Sudan Illegal since 1899 (as Anglo-Egyptian Sudan) Penalty: Up to 10 years imprisonment.[5][46] Constitutional ban since 2011. Sudan Illegal since 1899 (as Anglo-Egyptian Sudan) Penalty: Death penalty on third offense for men and on fourth offense for women.[5] Tunisia Illegal since 1913 (as the French protectorate of Tunisia) Penalty: 3 years imprisonment.[5][71] Western Africa LGBT rights in: Same-sex sexual activity Recognition of same-sex unions Same-sex marriage Adoption by same-sex couples LGB 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).[5][72] (Age of consent discrepancy)[5] Burkina Faso Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity have ever existed in the country).[5] Constitutional ban since 1991. Cape Verde Legal since 2004 + UN decl. sign.[5] Bans some anti-gay discrimination.[5] Côte d'Ivoire Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity have ever existed in the country). (Age of consent discrepancy)[5] Gambia Illegal since 1888 (as Gambia Colony and Protectorate) Penalty: Up to Iife imprisonment.[5][73][46] Ghana Male illegal since 1860s (as Gold Coast) Penalty: 10 years imprisonment or more Female always legal.[5][74][46] Guinea Illegal since 1988 Penalty: 6 months to 3 years imprisonment.[5][75] Guinea-Bissau Legal since 1993[5] + UN decl. sign. Liberia Illegal since 1976 Penalty: 1 year imprisonment.[5][76] Mali Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity have ever existed in the country).[5] Mauritania Illegal since 1983 Penalty: Death penalty[5][77] Niger Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity have ever existed in the country). (Age of consent discrepancy)[5] Nigeria Illegal under federal law since 1901 (as Northern Nigeria Protectorate and Southern Nigeria Protectorate) Penalty: Up to 14 years imprisonment Illegal in the states of Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara Penalty: Death penalty for men. Whipping and/or imprisonment for women.[5][78][46] Senegal Illegal since 1966 Penalty: 1 to 5 years imprisonment.[5][79] Sierra Leone Male illegal since 1861 (as the colony of Sierra Leone) Penalty: Up to life imprisonment (Not enforced) Female always legal + UN decl. sign.[5] Togo Illegal since 1884 (as Togoland) Penalty: Fine and 3 years imprisonment.[5][46] Central Africa LGBT rights in: Same-sex sexual activity Recognition of same-sex unions Same-sex marriage Adoption by same-sex couples LGB 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.[5][46] Central African Republic Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity have ever existed in the country). + UN decl. sign.[5] Chad Illegal since 2016. Democratic Republic of the Congo Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity have ever existed in the country).[5] Constitutional ban since 2005. Equatorial Guinea Legal since 1968.[5][80] Gabon Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity have ever existed in the country) + UN decl. sign. Republic of the Congo Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity have ever existed in the country). (Age of consent discrepancy)[5] Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha (Overseas territory of the United Kingdom) Legal since 2001 + UN decl. sign.[5] / (In Ascension and Tristan da Cunha since 2017)[81] Since 2000. UK responsible for defence. Constitutional ban all anti-gay on discrimination. Since 2013. São Tomé and Príncipe Legal since 2012 + UN decl. sign.[5] Southeast Africa LGBT rights in: Same-sex sexual activity Recognition of same-sex unions Same-sex marriage Adoption by same-sex couples LGB allowed to serve openly in military? Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation Laws concerning gender identity/expression Burundi Illegal since 2009 Penalty: 3 months to 2 years imprisonment.[5][82] Constitutional ban since 2005. Kenya Illegal since 1897 (as East Africa Protectorate) Penalty: up to 14 years imprisonment.[5][46] Constitutional ban since 2010.[83] Rwanda Legal since 1980[5][84] + UN decl. sign. Constitutional ban since 2003. Uganda Male illegal since 1894 Penalty: Up to life in prison[85] or vigilante execution[86] Constitutional ban since 2005. Tanzania Illegal since 1864 (only Zanzibar) Illegal since 1899 Penalty: Up to life imprisonment.[5][46] Horn of Africa LGBT rights in: Same-sex sexual activity Recognition of same-sex unions Same-sex marriage Adoption by same-sex couples LGB allowed to serve openly in military? Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation Laws concerning gender identity/expression Djibouti Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity have ever existed in the country).[5] Eritrea Illegal since 1957 (as part of the Federation of Ethiopia and Eritrea) Penalty: Up to 3 years imprisonment[5][87] Ethiopia Illegal Penalty: 10 years imprisonment or more[5] Somalia Illegal since 1962 Penalty: Up to death[88] Somaliland Illegal Penalty: Up to death[89] Indian Ocean States LGBT rights in: Same-sex sexual activity Recognition of same-sex unions Same-sex marriage Adoption by same-sex couples LGB allowed to serve openly in military? Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation Laws concerning gender identity/expression British Indian Ocean Territory (Overseas territory of the United Kingdom) Legal since 2001 + UN decl. sign.[5] Since 2014, UK Military Personnel only. Since 2014, UK Military Personnel only. Since 2000. UK responsible for defence. Comoros Illegal since 1982 Penalty: 5 years imprisonment & fines[5][90] French Southern and Antarctic Lands (Overseas territory of France) Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity have ever existed in the department).[5] Civil solidarity pact since 1999 Legal since 2013 Legal since 2013 Bans all anti-gay discrimination Under French law since 2017, sterilization was abolished for gender transitioning. Madagascar Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity have ever existed in the country). (Age of consent discrepancy)[5] Mauritius Illegal since 1838 (as part of British Mauritius) Penalty: Up to 5 years imprisonment Female always legal[91] + UN decl. sign.[5][92] Bans some anti-gay discrimination[93][94] Mayotte (Overseas department of France) Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity have ever existed in the department).[5] Civil solidarity pact since 1999 Legal since 2013 Legal since 2013 Bans all anti-gay discrimination Under French law since 2017, sterilization was abolished for gender transitioning. Réunion (Overseas department of France) Legal since 1791[5] Civil solidarity pact since 1999 Legal since 2013 Legal since 2013 Bans all anti-gay discrimination Under French law since 2017, sterilization was abolished for gender transitioning. Seychelles Legal since 2016[95] + UN decl. sign. Bans all anti-gay discrimination[5] Southern Africa LGBT rights in: Same-sex sexual activity Recognition of same-sex unions Same-sex marriage Adoption by same-sex couples LGB allowed to serve openly in military? Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation Laws concerning gender identity/expression Angola De facto illegal since 1886 (as part of the Province of Angola) Penalty: Fines, restrictions or penal labor (Not enforced)[5][96] (decriminalization pending)[97][98] Bans some anti-gay discrimination Botswana Illegal since 1885 (as part of the Bechuanaland Protectorate) Penalty: Fine to up to 7 years imprisonment (Not enforced)[5][46] Bans some anti-gay discrimination Lesotho Male legal since 2012 Female always legal[5] Malawi Illegal since 1891 (as part of the Shire Highlands Protectorate and the Nyasaland Districts Protectorate) Penalty: Up to 14 years imprisonment & whippings (Law suspended from usage since 2012)[5][99][46] Mozambique Legal since 2015[100][101] Bans some anti-gay discrimination[5][93] Namibia Male illegal since 1920 (as part of South-West Africa; not enforced)[46] Female always legal[5][102][103] South Africa Male legal since 1998 Female always legal + UN decl. sign.[5] Limited recognition of unregistered partnerships since 1998; Same-sex marriage since 2006. Legal since 2006 Legal since 2002 Since 1998 Bans all anti-gay discrimination Anti-discrimination laws are interpreted to include gender identity; legal gender may be changed after surgical or medical treatment. Swaziland Male illegal since the 1880s Female always legal[5][46] Zambia Illegal since 1911 (as part of the British South Africa Company rule of Rhodesia) Penalty: up to 14 years imprisonment[5][46] Zimbabwe Male illegal since 1891 (as part of the British South Africa Company rule of Rhodesia) Female legal[5][46] Constitutional ban since 2013

Americas

List of countries or territories by LGBT rights in the Americas

Tables: North America 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 Bermuda (Overseas territory of the United Kingdom) Legal since 1994 (age of consent discrepancy) + UN decl. sign.[5] Legal since 2017[104] Legal since 2015[105] UK responsible for defence. Bans all anti-gay discrimination.[106] Canada Legal since 1969 (age of consent discrepancy and prohibition of anal intercourse in some cases) + UN decl. sign.[5][107] Domestic partnership in Nova Scotia (2001)[108]; Civil union in Quebec (2002)[109]; Adult interdependent relationship in Alberta (2003)[110]; Common-law relationship in Manitoba (2004)[111] Legal in some provinces and territories since 2003, nationwide since 2005.[112] Legal in some provinces and territories since 1996, nationwide since 2010.[113] Since 1992[114] Bans all anti-gay discrimination, and hate speech. Pathologization or attempted treatment of sexual orientation by mental health professionals illegal in Manitoba and Ontario since 2015 (proposed in other jurisdictions). Transgender persons can change their gender identity or expression and name without completion of medical intervention and human rights protections explicitly includes gender identity or expression protections within all of Canada since 2017.[115][116][117][118] Greenland (Constituent country of the Kingdom of Denmark) Legal since 1933 + UN decl. sign.[5] Registered partnership since 1996[119] Legal since 2016 Step-child adoption since 2009.[120] Joint adoption since 2016.[121] Since 1978 (Denmark responsible for defence) / Bans some anti-gay discrimination.[5] Mexico Legal since 1871 + UN decl. sign.[5] / Civil union in Mexico City (2007), Coahuila (2007),[122] Colima (2013),[123] Campeche (2013),[124] Jalisco (2014)[125] / Legal in Mexico City (2010),[126] Quintana Roo (2012),[127] Coahuila (2014), Chihuahua (2015), Guerrero (2015), Nayarit (2015), Jalisco (2016), Campeche (2016), Michoacán (2016), Colima (2016), Morelos (2016). All states are obliged to honour same-sex marriages performed in states where it is legal.[126] (Proposed nationwide).[128][129] The Supreme Court has declared that it is unconstitutional to deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples in all states,[130] but as state constitutions were not invalidated, individual injunctions must still be obtained from the court.[131][132] / Explicitly legal in Mexico City (2010)[133], Coahuila (2014), Michoacán (2016), Colima (2016). [134] Nationwide, married same-sex couples may adopt.[135] Constitutional ban on all anti-gay discrimination.[136] Transgender persons can change their legal gender and name in Mexico City since 2008.[137] Mexico adopted a legal protocol for gender identity and sexual orientation in 2014 based upon constitutional provisions to equally protect the rights of all citizens.[138] Saint Pierre et Miquelon (Overseas collectivity of France) Legal since 1791 + UN decl. sign.[5] Civil solidarity pact since 1999[139] Legal since 2013[140] Legal since 2013[141] Bans all anti-gay discrimination.[56] Under French law since 2017, sterilization was abolished for gender transitioning.[142] United States Legal in some states since 1962, nationwide since 2003 + UN decl. sign.[5] Domestic partnership in California (1999),[143] the District of Columbia (2002),[144] Maine (2004),[145] Oregon (2008),[146] Maryland (2008),[147] Wisconsin (2009)[148] and Nevada (2009)[149]; Civil union in New Jersey (2007),[150] Illinois (2011),[151] Hawaii (2012),[152] and Colorado (2013)[153] Legal in some states since 2004. Nationwide since 2015, except American Samoa and some tribal jurisdictions.[154][155] Legal in some states since 1993. Nationwide since 2015, except American Samoa.[155] / Since 2011[156][157] / Federal executive order prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation for employees in the federal civilian workforce, along with the government employment in the District of Columbia, and the United States Postal Service, since 1998 (see Executive Order 12968 and Executive Order 13087). Pathologization or attempted treatment of sexual orientation with minors by mental health professionals illegal in some states. (Banned in California, Connecticut, Illinois, New Mexico, Vermont, New York, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, the District of Columbia and some cities such as Miami Beach, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Seattle). Included in the federal hate crimes law since 2009. (Sexual orientation discrimination in public and private employment) / Gender identity discrimination in employment and healthcare insurance banned since 2012.[158][159] Included in the federal hate crimes law since 2009. Employment discrimination based on sexual orientation banned since 2015.[160] (Gender identity discrimination in public and private employment) Central America 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 Belize Legal since 2016[161] Section 16(3) of the constitution bans discrimination on the basis of sex, race, place of origin, political opinions, colour or creed[162] The ruling overturning Section 53 of the criminal code specifically stated "sex" as mentioned in Section 16(3) of the constitution, includes sexual orientation.[163][164] Transgender persons can change their legal name without surgeries. Gender change is not allowed.[165] Costa Rica Legal since 1971 + UN decl. sign.[5] Unregistered cohabitation since 2014; (De facto union pending)[166][167] (Court decision pending) (Court decision pending) LGBT individuals may adopt.[168] Has no military. Bans all anti-gay discrimination.[5] Transgender persons can change their legal name without surgeries. Judicial permission required. Gender change is not allowed. El Salvador Legal since the 1800s + UN decl. sign.[5] (Court decision pending) (Constitutional ban pending) (Court decision pending)[169] (Court decision pending) [170] Bans all anti-gay discrimination.[170] Bans hate crimes based on gender identity.[171][172] Transgender persons can change their legal name. Judicial permission required. Gender change is not allowed.[173] Guatemala Legal since 1800's + UN decl. sign.[5] (Proposed) (Proposed) (Proposed) Bans some anti-gay discrimination. Transgender persons can change their legal name without surgeries. Judicial permission required.[174] Gender change is not allowed. Honduras Legal since 1899 + UN decl. sign.[5] Constitutional ban since 2005.[175][176] Bans all anti-gay discrimination, including hate speech.[177] Bans hate crimes based on gender identity.[5] Nicaragua Legal since 2008 + UN decl. sign.[5] Bans some anti-gay discrimination.[5] Panama Legal since 2008 + UN decl. sign.[5] (Court decision pending) (Court decision pending) (Court decision pending) Has no military. Bans some anti-gay discrimination.[178] (Anti-discrimination law proposed).[179] Transgender persons can change their legal gender and name after completion of medical intervention since 2006.[180] Legal name change, without surgeries, is allowed since 2016.[181] Caribbean 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 Anguilla (Overseas territory of the United Kingdom) Legal since 2001 + UN decl. sign.[5] UK responsible for defence. Antigua and Barbuda Illegal Penalty: 15-year prison sentence.[5] Aruba (Constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) Legal + UN decl. sign.[5] Civil Unions since 2016[182] (Proposed)/ Same-sex marriages performed in the Netherlands recognized.[183] (Proposed) The Netherlands responsible for defence. Bahamas Legal since 1991 (age of consent discrepancy) + UN decl. sign.[5] [5] Barbados Illegal Penalty: Life imprisonment (not enforced) (Proposed) .[5] British Virgin Islands (Overseas territory of the United Kingdom) Legal since 2001 + UN decl. sign.[5] UK responsible for defence. Constitutional ban on all anti-gay discrimination.[184] Caribbean Netherlands (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, Saba; Special municipalities of the Netherlands) Legal + UN decl. sign.[5] Registered partnership since 2012[185] Legal since 2012[186] [187] The Netherlands responsible for defence. Bans all anti-gay discrimination.[188] [189] Cayman Islands (Overseas territory of the United Kingdom) Legal since 2001 (age of consent discrepancy)[5] + UN decl. sign. / Same-sex marriage not expressly prohibited under Cayman Islands law, but Constitutional right of a man and a woman to marry a person of the opposite sex since 2009.[190] Same-sex marriages performed in a foreign country are now recognized for immigration purposes. [191] UK responsible for defence. Cuba Legal since 1979 + UN decl. sign.[5] (Proposed) Constitutional ban since 1976. [5] Bans some anti-gay discrimination.[192][193] [194] Curaçao (Constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) Legal + UN decl. sign.[5] (Proposed) (Proposed)/ Same-sex marriages performed in the Netherlands recognized.[183] (Proposed) The Netherlands responsible for defence. Dominica Illegal Penalty: 10-year prison sentence or incarceration in a psychiatric institution (Not enforced) + UN decl. sign.[5] Dominican Republic Legal since 1822 + UN decl. sign.[5] Constitutional ban since 2010.[195] [196] Grenada Male illegal Penalty: 10-year prison sentence Female always legal.[5] Has no military. Guadeloupe (Overseas department of France) Legal since 1791 + UN decl. sign.[5] Civil solidarity pact since 1999[139] Legal since 2013[140] Legal since 2013[141] Bans all anti-gay discrimination.[56] Under French law since 2017, sterilization was abolished for gender transitioning.[142] Guantanamo Bay Naval Base (Extraterritorial jurisdiction of the United States) Legal since 1903 Legal Legal USA responsible for defense. [197] [198] Haiti Legal since 1986[5] Has no military. Jamaica Male illegal Penalty: 10 years hard labor (not enforced) Female always legal.[5] Martinique (Overseas department of France) Legal since 1791 + UN decl. sign.[5] Civil solidarity pact since 1999[139] Legal since 2013[140] Legal since 2013[141] Bans all anti-gay discrimination.[56] Under French law since 2017, sterilization was abolished for gender transitioning.[142] Montserrat (Overseas territory of the United Kingdom) Legal since 2001 + UN decl. sign.[5] Constitutional ban since 2010.[199] UK responsible for defence. Constitutional ban on all anti-gay discrimination.[200] Puerto Rico (Commonwealth of the United States) Legal since 2003 + UN decl. sign.[5] Since 2015 Legal since 2015[201] Legal since 2015 Since 2011[156] Bans hate crimes since 2002 and anti–employment discrimination since 2013. US hate crime laws also apply. Bans hate crimes since 2002 and anti–employment discrimination since 2013. US hate crime laws also apply. Saint Barthélemy (Overseas collectivity of France since 2007) Legal since 1791 + UN decl. sign.[5] Civil solidarity pact since 1999[139] Legal since 2013[140] Legal since 2013[141] Bans all anti-gay discrimination.[56] Under French law since 2017, sterilization was abolished for gender transitioning.[142] Saint Kitts and Nevis Male illegal Penalty: 10 years Female always legal.[5] Saint Lucia Male illegal Penalty: fine and/or 10-year prison sentence Female always legal.[5] Has no military. Saint Martin (Overseas collectivity of France since 2007) Legal since 1791 + UN decl. sign.[5] Civil solidarity pact since 1999[139] Legal since 2013[140] Legal since 2013[141] Bans all anti-gay discrimination.[56] Under French law since 2017, sterilization was abolished for gender transitioning.[142] Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Illegal Penalty: fine and/or 10-year prison sentence.[5] Has no military. Sint Maarten (Constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) Legal + UN decl. sign.[5] (Proposed) (Proposed)/ Same-sex marriages performed in the Netherlands recognized.[183] (Proposed) The Netherlands responsible for defence. Trinidad and Tobago Illegal Penalty: 25-year prison sentence (not enforced).[5] Turks and Caicos Islands (Overseas territory of the United Kingdom) Legal since 2001 + UN decl. sign.[5] Constitutional ban since 2011.[202] UK responsible for defence. Constitutional ban on all anti-gay discrimination.[5] United States Minor Outlying Islands (Unincorporated organized territory of the United States) Legal Legal Legal USA responsible for defense. United States Virgin Islands (Insular area of the United States) Legal since 1985 + UN decl. sign.[5] Since 2015[155] Legal since 2015[155] Legal since 2015[155] Since 2011[156] The US hate crime laws also apply to all US external territories as well. The US hate crime laws also apply to all US external territories as well. South America 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 Argentina Legal since 1887 + UN decl. sign.[5] Civil union in Buenos Aires (2003)[203] and Rio Negro (2003)[204] Cohabitation union nationwide since 2015[205] Legal since 2010.[206] Legal since 2010 Since 2009[207] / Legal protection in some provinces (federal law pending).[208] Pathologization or attempted treatment of sexual orientation by mental health professionals illegal. Transgender persons can change their legal gender and name without surgeries or judicial permission since 2012.[209] Bolivia Legal + UN decl. sign.[5] Constitutional ban on free unions.[210] (Family life agreement pending)[211] Constitutional ban since 2009.[212] LGBT individuals may adopt.[213] [214][215][216] Bans all anti-gay discrimination, including hate speech.[5] Transgender persons can change their legal gender and name without surgeries or judicial permission since 2016.[217][218][219][220] Brazil Legal since 1831 + UN decl. sign.[5] "Stable unions" legal in some states since 2004. All rights as recognized family entities available nationwide since 2011.[221][222] Legal in some states since 2012, nationwide since 2013.[223][224] Legal since 2010[225] Since 1969[226] / All state-sanctioned social discrimination of citizens since 1988. Legal protection for sexual orientation in many jurisdictions (expansion of anti-discrimination (all) national Constitutional amendment discussed in the Senate).[227] Pathologization or attempted treatment of sexual orientation by mental health professionals illegal since 1999.[228][229] Transgender persons can change their legal gender and name after completion of medical intervention since 2009.[230][231][232] Chile Legal since 1999 (age of consent discrepancy) + UN decl. sign.[5] Civil union agreement since 2015.[233] (Pending).[234] / (Pending) Same-sex couples may adopt, although only one is recognized as legal parent. LGBT individuals may adopt (Joint and step-child adoption pending).[235] Since 2012.[236] Bans all anti-gay discrimination since 2012.[237] Transgender persons can change their legal gender and name after completion of medical intervention since 2007. Judicial permission required.[238] Currently, a broader gender identity law (which would not require any surgeries or judicial permission) is being discussed by the congress.[239][240] Colombia Legal since 1981 + UN decl. sign.[5] De facto marital union since 2007.[241] Legal since 2016.[242] Step-child adoption since 2014.[243] Joint adoption since 2015.[244] Since 1999. Since 2009 the military special social security system can be used by same sex couples in the army.[5] Bans all anti-gay discrimination including hate speech since 2011.[245] Since 2015, transgender persons can change their legal gender and name manifesting their solemn will before a notar, no surgeries or judicial order required.[246] Ecuador Legal since 1997 + UN decl. sign.[5] De facto union since 2009.[247][248] Constitutional ban since 2009.[249] LGBT individuals may adopt.[250] [251] Bans all anti-gay discrimination.[252] Since 2016, transgender persons are allowed to change their birth name and gender identity (instead of the sex assigned at birth) on legal documents. No surgeries or judicial order required.[253][254][255] Falkland Islands (Overseas territory of the United Kingdom) Legal since 1989 + UN decl. sign.[5] Legal since 2017.[256] Legal since 2017.[256] Legal since 2017. UK responsible for defence. Constitutional ban on all anti-gay discrimination.[257] French Guiana (Overseas department of France) Legal since 1791 + UN decl. sign.[5] Civil solidarity pact since 1999.[139] Legal since 2013.[140] Legal since 2013.[141] Bans all anti-gay discrimination.[56] Under French law since 2017, sterilization was abolished for gender transitioning.[142] Guyana Illegal Penalty: Up to life imprisonment (not enforced).[5] [258] [259] Paraguay Legal since 1880 (age of consent discrepancy) + UN decl. sign.[5] Constitutional ban since 1992.[260] Constitutional ban since 1992.[261] (Proposed).[262] Peru Legal since 1836-1837 + UN decl. sign.[5] (Pending)[263] Since 2009.[264] [265][266][267][268] Transgender persons can change their legal gender and name after completion of medical intervention since 2016. Judicial permission required.[269][270] Suriname Legal since 1869 (age of consent discrepancy) + UN decl. Bans some anti-gay discrimination, including hate speech since 2015.[271] (Court decision pending).[272][273] Uruguay Legal since 1934 + UN decl. sign.[5] Concubinage union since 2008.[274] Legal since 2013[275] Legal since 2009[276] Since 2009.[277] Bans all anti-gay discrimination since 2004.[278] Transgender persons can change their legal gender and name since 2009.[279] Venezuela Legal since 1997 + UN decl. sign.[5] (Proposed) (Proposed).[280] (Proposed) Bans some anti-gay discrimination.[5]

Asia

List of countries or territories by LGBT rights in Asia

This table: Central Asia LGBT rights in: Same-sex sexual activity Recognition of same-sex unions Same-sex marriage Adoption by same-sex couples LGB allowed to serve openly in military? Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation Laws concerning gender identity/expression Kazakhstan Legal since 1998[5] [281] [282] Kyrgyzstan Legal since 1998[5] Constitutionally banned since 2016.[283] [282] Tajikistan Legal since 1998[5] [282] Turkmenistan Male illegal Penalty: up to 2-year prison sentence Female always legal[5] Uzbekistan Male illegal Penalty: up to 3-year prison sentence Female always legal[5] Eurasia LGBT rights in: Same-sex sexual activity Recognition of same-sex unions Same-sex marriage Adoption by same-sex couples LGB allowed to serve openly in military? Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation Laws concerning gender identity/expression Abkhazia Legal after 1991 Akrotiri and Dhekelia (Overseas territory of the United Kingdom) Legal since 2000 + UN decl. sign.[5] Since 2005 Legal since 2014 Britain responsible for defence Bans some anti-gay discrimination[284] Armenia Legal since 2003 + UN decl. sign.[5] Constitutionally banned since 2015[285][286] / No explicit ban. However, LGBT persons have been reportedly discharged because of their sexual orientation.[287] Azerbaijan Legal since 2000[5] (Requires sterilization for change).[288] Cyprus Legal since 1998 + UN decl. sign.[5] Since 2015 Bans all anti-gay discrimination[289] Forbids discrimination based on gender identity. Georgia Legal since 2000 + UN decl. sign.[5] (Constitutional ban proposed) Bans all anti-gay discrimination[290] (Requires sterilization for change)[288] Nagorno-Karabakh Legal since 2000 Constitutionally banned since 2006 [291] Northern Cyprus Legal since 2014[292][293][5] Bans all anti-gay discrimination[292][293] Discrimination or hate speech banned since 2014.[292][293] Unknown if gender change is legal. Russia Male legal since 1993 Female always legal[294][5] Illegal in practice in Chechnya (Constitutional ban proposed) LGBT individuals may adopt. Unofficial Don't ask, don't tell policy (Requires sterilization for change)[288] South Ossetia Legal after 1991 Turkey Legal since 1858[5] (Proposed)[295] (Proposed)[295] (Requires sterilization for change) West Asia LGBT rights in: Same-sex sexual activity Recognition of same-sex unions Same-sex marriage Adoption by same-sex couples LGB allowed to serve openly in military? Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation Laws concerning gender identity/expression Bahrain Legal since 1976 (Age of consent discrepancy)[5] Iran Illegal Penalty: For men 74 lashes for immature men and death penalty for mature men of sound mind and if consenting. For women 50 lashes for women of mature sound mind and if consenting. Death penalty offense after fourth conviction.[5] Legal gender recognition in Iran is legal if accompanied by a medical intervention.[296] Iraq Legal since 2003[297] Israel Legal since 1963 (de facto), 1988 (de jure)[298] + UN decl. sign.[5][299] Unregistered cohabitation since 1994. / There are no civil marriages available in Israel for Same-Sex or Opposite Sex Couples and any non-religious marriage is unrecognized if performed in country, but foreign same-sex marriages are fully recognized by the government and recorded in the population registry of the Ministry of the Interior . The country is de-facto preventing adoptions by same sex couples.[300] Since 1993 Bans some anti-gay discrimination;[301][302] Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty applies to homosexuals and bisexuals.[303] Full recognition of gender's ID without a surgery or medical intervention;[304] equal employment opportunity law bars discrimination based on gender identity;[305][306] Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty applies to transgender individuals.[305][307] Jordan Legal since 1951[5] Legal since 2014[308] Kuwait Male illegal Penalty: Fines or up to 6-year prison sentence Female always legal[5][309] Lebanon Legal since 2014[310] Legal gender change allowed Oman Illegal Penalty: Fines and prison sentence up to 3 years (Only enforced when dealing with "public scandal")[5] Palestinian Territories (Gaza Strip) West Bank: Legal since 1951 (As part of Jordan)[5] Gaza: Male illegal Penalty: (de facto) Death/ Extra judicial Execution, (de jure) Up to 10 years imprisonment Female always legal[5] Qatar Illegal Penalty: Fines, prison sentence up to 7 years.[5] Saudi Arabia Illegal Penalty: Prison sentences of several months to life, fines and/or whipping/flogging, castration, torture or death can be sentenced on first conviction. A second conviction merits execution.[5] Syria Illegal Penalty: Prison sentence up to 3 years (Law in de-facto suspended)[311][5] Transsexuals allowed to change legal gender United Arab Emirates Illegal under federal law Penalty: deportation, fines or prison time Illegal in the emirate of Dubai Penalty: Up to 14 years imprisonment Illegal in the emirate of Abu Dhabi Penalty: Up to 10 years imprisonment[5] Sex reassignment surgery for people whose gender is unclear or whose physical features do not match their physiological, biological and genetic characteristics.[312][313][314] Yemen Illegal Penalty: Unmarried men punished with 100 lashes of the whip or a maximum of one year of imprisonment, married men with death by stoning. Women punished up to three years of imprisonment; where the offense has been committed under duress, the punishment is up to seven years detention.[5] South Asia LGBT rights in: Same-sex sexual activity Recognition of same-sex unions Same-sex marriage Adoption by same-sex couples LGB allowed to serve openly in military? Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation Laws concerning gender identity/expression Afghanistan Illegal Penalty: Long imprisonment or death penalty (No known cases of death sentences have been handed out for same-sex sexual activity after the end of Taliban rule)[5] Bangladesh Illegal Penalty: 10 years to life imprisonment[5] A third option (hijra) beside male and female[315] Bhutan Illegal Penalty: Prison sentence up to 1 year (Not enforced)[5] India Illegal nationwide since 1861. Was legalized in 2009 by Delhi High Court, but became illegal again in 2013 due to Indian Supreme Court judgement.[316] Penalty: 10 years to life imprisonment (sporadically enforced)[317][316][5] No explicit recognition.[318] No explicit recognition.[318] Transgender individuals may adopt. [319] "Third gender" recognised by Indian Supreme Court in 2014.[320] Maldives Illegal Penalty: For men the punishment is banishment for nine months to one year or a whipping of 10 to 30 strokes. For women is house arrest for nine months to one year.[5] Nepal Legal since 2007 + UN decl. sign.[5] (Proposed: By Supreme Court in 2008) (Proposed: By Supreme Court in 2008) Under consideration Constitution bans all anti-gay discrimination since 2015. Gender change is legal since 2007. Constitution bans all discrimination.[321] Pakistan Illegal Penalty: 2 years to life sentence[5] Right to change gender; transgender and intersex citizens have protection form all discrimination and harassment.[322] Sri Lanka Illegal Penalty: Fine and up to 10 years imprisonment (Not enforced)[5] (proposed)[323][324] Transgender persons can change their legal gender and name after completion of medical intervention since 2016.[325][326] East Asia LGBT rights in: Same-sex sexual activity Recognition of relationships Same-sex marriage Adoption by same-sex couples LGB allowed to serve openly in military? Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation Laws concerning gender identity/expression China (People's Republic of) Legal since 1997[5] Transgender people allowed to change legal gender, but only after sex reassignment surgery. Hong Kong (Special administrative region of China) Legal since 1991[5] LGBT individuals may adopt.[327] The People's Republic of China is in charge of Hong Kong's defence affairs. Regardless of sexual orientation, military personnel are not recruited from Hong Kong. Government employment, goods and services only Transgender people allowed to change legal gender, but only after sex reassignment surgery. Japan Legal since 1880 + UN decl. sign.[5] / Non-legally binding partnerships in 6 municipal jurisdictions (Shibuya, Setagaya, Iga, Takaraduka, Naha, Sapporo) / No nationwide protections, but some cities ban some anti-gay discriminations[5] (Nationalwide workplace protections pending) Transgender people allowed to change legal gender, but only after sex reassignment surgery and in case that the individual has no child under 20 years old Macau (Special administrative region of China) Legal since 1996[5] The People's Republic of China is in charge of Macau's defence affairs. Regardless of sexual orientation, military personnel are not recruited from Macau. Bans some anti-gay discrimination Mongolia Legal since 1961 + UN decl. sign.[5] Due to conscription. Bans some anti-gay discrimination. Transgender people allowed to change legal gender North Korea Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity has ever existed in the country)[5] Unknown although there are heavily obeyed gender roles for both male and female. See Let's trim our hair in accordance with the socialist lifestyle South Korea Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity has ever existed in the country) + UN decl. sign.[5] (Life partnership proposed) Transgender people allowed to change legal gender Taiwan, Republic of China Legal since 1895[328] Since July 3, 2017.[329] /(Legal since May 24, 2019[330]) (Pending. LGBT individuals may adopt.) Due to military draft Bans some anti-gay discrimination (in work and education) Transgender people allowed to change legal gender. Surgery no longer a requirement beginning in 2015[331] Southeast Asia LGBT rights in Same-sex sexual activity Recognition of relationships Same-sex marriage Adoption by same-sex couples LGB allowed to serve openly in military? Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation Laws concerning gender identity/expression Brunei Illegal Penalty: Fines and imprisonment up to 10 years or death by stoning[5] Myanmar (Burma) Illegal Penalty: Up to life sentence (Not enforced) [5] Cambodia Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity has ever existed in the country)[5] There has been at least one recorded case of a legally registered and recognized same-sex marriage. East Timor Legal since 1975 + UN decl. sign.[5] Bans hate crimes based on sexual orientation Indonesia Legal nationwide, except; Illegal in the provinces of Aceh and South Sumatra and the city of Palembang (Applies only to Muslims)[332][333][5] (Age of consent discrepancy) [334] Laos Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity has ever existed in the country)[5] Malaysia Male illegal Penalty: fines, prison sentence (2-20 years), or whippings Female always legal[5] [335] Philippines Legal nationwide since 1933 [336][5][337] (Pending)[336] (Pending)[338] LGBT individuals may adopt.[339] Since 2009 [340] Cebu[341] Quezon City, Davao[342] and Albay have anti-discrimination ordinances[343] (National bill pending but still not made into law) (Pending)[344] Singapore Male illegal Penalty: up to 2 years prison sentence (Not enforced since 1999) Female legal since 2007[5] Due to conscription, but gays are not allowed to go to command school or serve in sensitive units. Transsexuals allowed to change legal gender, but only after sex reassignment surgery. Thailand Legal since 1956 + UN decl. sign.[5] (Proposed)[345] Since 2005 Bans all anti-gay discrimination. Transsexuals may change their legal name after having a sex change operation.[346] Vietnam Legal (No laws against same-sex sexual activity has ever existed in the country)[5] + UN decl. sign.[5] Sex-change recognized and legalized by the National Assembly after the Civil Code amended in November 24, 2015 and officially practised from 2017[347][348]. Before 2017, sex-change were only legalized for persons of congenital sex defects and unidentifiable sex.