LGBTQ rights in European Union | |
---|---|
Status | Never criminalised in EU law. Last state criminalisation repealed in 1998. |
Military | Allowed to serve openly in all states |
Discrimination protections | Outlawed in employment with further protections in some member states' law |
Family rights | |
Recognition of relationships | Same-sex marriage in 16/27 states Recognition of same-sex unions in 24/27 states No recognition of same-sex couples in 3/27 states |
Restrictions | Same-sex marriage constitutional ban in 7/27 states. |
Adoption | Joint adoption in 17/27 states Step-child adoption in 20/27 states |
The rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people are protected under the European Union's (EU) treaties and law. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in all EU member states and discrimination in employment has been banned since 2000. However, EU states have different laws when it comes to any greater protection, same-sex civil union, same-sex marriage, and adoption by same-sex couples.
The Treaty on European Union, in its last version as updated by the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007 and in force as of 2009, makes the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union legally binding for the member states of the European Union when applying EU law, and the European Union itself. In turn, Article 21 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union includes an anti-discrimination provision that states that "any discrimination based on any ground such as [...] sexual orientation shall be prohibited." [1] [2] [3]
Furthermore, the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union provides in Articles 10 that the European Union has a positive duty to combat discrimination (among other things) on the grounds of sexual orientation and provides in Article 19 ways for the Council and the European Parliament to actively propose pass legislation to do so. These provisions were enacted by the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1999. [1] [2]
Following the inclusion in the Treaties of the above-mentioned provisions, Directive 2000/78/EC "Directive establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation" was enacted in 2000. This framework directive compels all EU states to adopt anti-discrimination legislation in employment. That legislation has to include provisions to protect people from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. [2]
In practice, this protects EU citizens from being refused a job, or from being fired, because of their sexual orientation; it also protects them from being harassed by a colleague due to their sexual orientation. [4]
While Directive 2000/78/CE does not technically apply to the EU institutions themselves, [5] the EU Staff Regulations [6] provide in Article 1d:
And the conditions listed in Article 1(2)(c) of Annex VII are the following:
Thereby, the Staff Regulations outlaw discrimination of EU staff based on sex (which includes gender reassignment [7] ) or sexual orientation and guarantee that registered same-sex couples are not excluded from benefits awarded to married couples due to not having access to the institution of marriage.
Directive 2000/78/EC does not cover being refused medical services or treatment, refusal of being given a double room in a hotel, protection from bullying in a school and refusal of social security schemes (e.g. survivors' pensions and financial assistance to carers). Protection under EU law in these circumstances exists, but is granted on the grounds of race or gender only. [8]
As such, in 2008, a proposal of a Directive to more broadly fight discrimination has been introduced, which would outlaw discrimination in the areas of social protection, social advantages, education and access to supply of goods, on the basis of religious belief, disability, age, and sexual orientation. [9] However, despite strong support from the European Parliament, the directive has since been stalled in the Council. [10]
EU law currently takes a different approach to transgender issues. Despite the European Parliament adopting a resolution on transgender rights as early as 1989, transgender identity is not incorporated into any EU funding and was not mentioned in the law establishing the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) as sexual orientation was. However, the case law of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) provides some protection by interpreting discrimination on the basis of 'sex' to also refer to people who have had 'gender reassignment'. Thus all EU sex discrimination law applies to transgender people. [2] However, the literature criticised this approach, and there are calls to protect transgender people against discrimination based on their gender identity instead of sex. [11] In 2002, the 1976 equal treatment directive was revised to include discrimination based on gender identity, to reflect case law on the directive. [12] Transgender EU citizens have faced difficulties when exercising their right to free movement and other rights associated with their Union citizenship status. [13] In October 2024, the ECJ ruled that EU member states must recognise changes to names and gender markers obtained in other member states, based on the right to free movement. [14] [15] [16]
In February 2019, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the rights of intersex people. The resolution called European Union member states to legislate better policies that protected intersex individuals, especially from unnecessary surgery and discrimination. It stated that the parliament "strongly condemns sex-normalizing treatments and surgery; welcomes laws that prohibit such surgery, as in Malta and Portugal, and encourages other member states to adopt similar legislation as soon as possible." The resolution also urged legal gender recognition based on self-determination. It also confirms that intersex people are "exposed to multiple instances of violence and discrimination in the European Union" and calls on the European Commission and the Members States to propose legislation to address these issues. It also includes the need of adequate counselling and support for intersex people and their families, measures to end the stigma and pathologisation intersex people face and increased funding for intersex-led civil society organisations. [17] [18] [19]
Between 2001 and 2006, a Community Action Programme to Combat Discrimination involved the expenditure of €100 million to fight discrimination in a number of areas, including sexual orientation. [12]
In 2009, the European Commission has acted to tone down a law in Lithuania that included homophobic language and also aimed to support the gay pride parade in the country and others under threat of banning. [2]
In June 2010, the Council of the European Union adopted a non-binding toolkit to promote LGBT people's human rights. [20] [21]
In June 2013, the Council upgraded it to binding LGBTI Guidelines instructing EU diplomats around the world to defend the human rights of LGBTI people. [22] [23]
Same-sex marriage has been legalised in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden. Same-sex civil unions have been legalised in Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, and Spain. In Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Ireland, civil partnerships were legal between 1989 and 2012, and between 1995 and 2009, and between 2002 and 2017, and between 2011 and 2015, respectively. In Germany, registered life partnerships were legal between 2001 and 2017. However, existing civil unions/registered life partnerships are still recognised in all of these countries[ citation needed ].
Bulgaria, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia have constitutionally defined marriage as being between a man and a woman. In December 2020, Hungary also explicitly legally banned adoption for same-sex couples within its constitution. [24] [25]
European Union law (the Citizens’ Rights Directive 2004/38/EC) requires those member states that legalised same-sex partnerships to recognise each other's partnerships for the purpose of freedom of movement. [26] The European Parliament has however approved a report calling for mutual recognition. [27] [28]
According to European Court of Justice case law based on the Employment Equality Framework Directive, employees in a civil partnership with a same-sex partner must be granted the same benefits as those granted to their colleagues upon their marriage, where marriage is not possible for same-sex couples. The Court established this principle in 2008 in the case of Tadao Maruko v. Versorgungsanstalt der deutschen Bühnen with regards to a German registered life partnership. In December 2013, the Court confirmed this in the case of Frédéric Hay v. Crédit agricole mutuel (C-267/12) with regards to a French civil solidarity pact, which is significantly inferior to marriage than a German registered life partnership. [29] [30]
Also, according to the European Court of Justice in the case of Coman and Others , by judgement of 5 June 2018, a "spouse" (or partner or any other family member) in the Free Movement Directive (2004/38/EC) includes a (foreign) same-sex spouse; member states are required to confer the right of residence on the (foreign) same-sex spouse of a citizen of the European Union. [31] [32] However, most of east-central European new EU member countries (A8 countries) do not recognise same-sex unions themselves, Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania and Romania, but are still bound by a ruling by the European Court of Justice to recognise same-sex marriages performed within the EU and including an EU citizen for the purposes of granting legal residence, [33] though they do not always respect this ruling in practice (in case of Romania is still ignoring implementation of the ruling). [34]
In 2021, 10 EU member states refused to recognize same-sex couples as joint parents to their children. This leads to situations where two people recognized as parents in one country would have their family ties legally dissolve after crossing a border. A frequently encountered issue is that birth certificates issued in one member state and listing two people of the same sex as parents are not recognized in other countries. Some children do not have passports as a result. [35] The pending CJEU case V.M.A. v. Stolichna Obsthina involves a child who could not claim Bulgarian nationality because her parents were a lesbian couple. [36] A policy brief commissioned by European Parliament Committee on Petitions recommends that the European Commission or the CJEU should clarify that Directive 2004/38 on free movement also applies to rainbow families, who should not be discriminated against in their exercise of EU free movement rights. [35] The case was finally decided on 14 December 2021, with the CJEU accepting the position of the European Parliament Committee on Petitions, and finding Bulgaria in breach of EU law for not issuing documents to the child of the lesbian couple. The decision points out that while it is still a Member State's prerogative to decide whether or not to extend same-sex marriage and LGBT adoption rights to its own citizen, this choice cannot come at the expense of the child being deprived of the relationship of one of her parents while exercising her rights to freedom of movement within the EU. [37] [38]
In March 2018, a majority of representatives in the European Parliament passed a resolution in a 435–109 vote condemning conversion therapy and urging European Union member states to ban the practice. [39] [40] [41] A report released by the European Parliament Intergroup on LGBT Rights after the measure was passed stated that "Currently, only Malta and some regions in Spain have explicitly banned LGBTI conversion therapies." [42] Conversion therapy for minors was banned in Germany in 2020, [43] in France in 2022, [44] and in Belgium, Cyprus, and Portugal in 2023. Bans have also been proposed in Ireland, Netherlands and Austria[ citation needed ].
On 24 January 2024, the European Commission registered a European Citizens' Initiative to ban conversion therapy and the signature collection period started on 17 May of the same year. For the initiative to be successful, organizers have until 17 May 2025 to gather at least one million statements of support, as well as reach a minimum threshold in at least seven countries. [45]
Openly gay people are allowed to serve in the military of every EU country since 2018[ citation needed ].
In December 2016, Malta became the first country in the EU – as well as in Europe – to ban conversion therapy. [46] [47] [48]
LGBT rights in: | Unregistered cohabitation | Civil union | Marriage | Adoption | Anti-discrimination laws | Hate crime/speech laws |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Austria | Yes (Since 2003) [49] | Yes (Registered Partnership since 2010) [50] | Yes (Since 2019) [51] [52] [53] | Yes (Since 2016) [54] | All [55] | Yes [55] |
Belgium | No | Yes (Legal Cohabitation since 2000) [56] | Yes (Since 2003) [57] | Yes (Since 2006) [58] | All [55] | Yes |
Bulgaria | No | No | Constitutional ban since 1991 [59] | No | All [55] | Yes [60] |
Croatia | Yes (Since 2003) [61] [62] | Yes (Life Partnership since 2014) [62] | Constitutional ban since 2013 [63] | Yes (Since 2022) [64] | All [55] | Yes |
Cyprus | No | Yes (Civil Cohabitation since 2015) [65] | No | No | All [66] | Yes [67] |
Czech Republic | Yes (Since 2001) [68] | Yes (Registered Partnership since 2006, expanded in 2024 - effective from January 1, 2025) [69] | No | Yes (Step-child or partial adoption from January 1, 2025) [70] | All | Yes |
Denmark | Yes (Since 1986) [71] | Registered Partnership from 1989 to 2012; certain partnerships are still recognised | Yes (Since 2012) [72] | Yes (Since 2010) [73] | All [55] | Yes |
Estonia | No | Yes (Cohabitation Agreement since 2016) [74] | Yes (Since 2024) [75] [76] | Yes (Since 2024) | All [55] | Yes [55] |
Finland | No | Registered Partnership from 1989 to 2012; certain partnerships are still recognised [77] | Yes (Since 2017) [78] | Yes (Since 2017) | All [55] | Yes [55] |
France | Yes (Since 1999) [79] | Yes (Civil Solidarity Pact since 1999) [79] | Yes (Since 2013) [80] | Yes (Since 2013)[ citation needed ] | All [55] | Yes |
Germany | No | Life Partnership from 2001 to 2017; certain partnerships are still recognised [81] | Yes (Since 2017) [82] | Yes (Since 2017) [83] [81] | All [55] | Yes [84] |
Greece | No | Yes (Cohabitation Agreement since 2015) [85] | Yes (Since 2024) [86] | Yes (Since 2024) [86] | All | Yes |
Hungary | Yes (Since 1996) [87] [88] | Yes (Registered Partnership since 2009) [89] | Constitutional ban since 2012 [90] [91] | Constitutional ban since 2020 [92] | All [55] | Yes [55] |
Ireland | Yes (Since 2011) [93] | Civil Partnership from 2011 to 2015; certain partnerships are still recognised [93] | Yes (since 2015) [94] | Yes (Since 2017) [95] | All [55] | Yes |
Italy | Yes (since 2016) [96] | Yes (Civil Union since 2016) [97] | In 2018 the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriages performed abroad must be registered as civil unions [98] | Stepchild adoption admitted by the Court of Cassation since 2016 [99] | Some[ vague ] | No |
Latvia | No | Yes (Partnership since 2024) | Constitutional ban since 2006 [100] | No | Some[ vague ] | No |
Lithuania | No | No | Constitutional ban since 1992 [101] | No | All [55] | Yes [55] |
Luxembourg | No | Yes (Partnership since 2004) [102] | Yes (Since 2015) [103] | Yes (Since 2015) | All [104] | Yes [105] |
Malta | Yes (Since 2017) [106] | Yes (Civil Union since 2014) [107] | Yes (Since 2017) [108] | Yes (Since 2014) [107] | All [109] | Yes [55] |
Netherlands | Yes (Since 1979) [110] | Yes (Registered Partnership since 1998) [111] | Yes (Since 2001) [112] | Yes (Since 2001) | All [55] | Yes |
Poland | Yes (Since 2012) | No | Constitutional ban since 1997 [113] [114] [115] [116] [117] [118] | No | Some[ vague ] | No |
Portugal | Yes (De facto union since 2001) [119] [120] | No | Yes (Since 2010) [121] | Yes (Since 2016)[ citation needed ] | All [55] | Yes |
Romania | No | No | No | No | All [55] | Yes |
Slovakia | Yes (Limited rights for "close person" recognized under civil and penal law since 2018) [122] [123] | No | Constitutional ban since 2014 [124] | No | All [55] | Yes [125] |
Slovenia | Yes (Since 2006) [126] | Registered Partnership from 2006 to 2023 [127] | Yes (Since 2022) [128] | Yes (Since 2022) | All [55] | Yes [55] |
Spain | Yes (Since 1995) [129] [130] | Yes (All regions and autonomous cities of Spain since 2018)[ citation needed ] | Yes (Since 2005) [131] | Yes (Since 2005) | All [55] | Yes |
Sweden | Yes (Since 1988) [132] [133] [134] | Registered Partnership from 1995 to 2009; certain partnerships are still recognised [135] | Yes (Since 2009) [136] | Yes (Since 2003) [137] | All [55] | Yes |
Due to the Cyprus dispute placing Northern Cyprus outside the Republic of Cyprus' control, EU law is suspended in the area governed by the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
LGBT rights in: | Civil union | Marriage | Adoption | Anti-discrimination laws | Hate crime/speech laws |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Northern Cyprus | No | No | No | All | Yes |
Below is the share of respondents per country who agreed with the following statements in the 2023 Eurobarometer on Discrimination. [138] For comparison, green background in the second column indicates that the country allows full joint adoption for same-sex couples (silver background some form of second-parent adoption) and green background in the fourth column that it allows same-sex marriage (silver background for some form of civil partnership).
Member state | "Lesbian, gay and bisexual people should have the same rights as heterosexual people (marriage, adoption, parental rights)" [a] | "There is nothing wrong in a sexual relationship between two persons of the same sex" | "Same sex marriages should be allowed throughout Europe" | Change from 2019 on last statement |
---|---|---|---|---|
European Union | 69% | 74% | 72% | +3 |
Austria | 59% | 66% | 65% | -1 |
Belgium | 77% | 80% | 79% | -3 |
Bulgaria | 21% | 21% | 17% | +1 |
Croatia | 35% | 39% | 42% | +3 |
Cyprus | 45% | 46% | 50% | +14 |
Czech Republic | 54% | 70% | 60% | +12 |
Denmark | 92% | 93% | 93% | +4 |
Estonia | 37% | 51% | 41% | +0 |
Finland | 75% | 82% | 76% | +0 |
France | 78% | 84% | 79% | +0 |
Germany | 81% | 84% | 84% | +0 |
Greece | 44% | 57% | 57% | +18 |
Hungary | 44% | 49% | 42% | +9 |
Ireland | 84% | 83% | 86% | +7 |
Italy | 63% | 71% | 69% | +11 |
Latvia | 39% | 35% | 36% | +12 |
Lithuania | 29% | 42% | 39% | +9 |
Luxembourg | 81% | 86% | 84% | -1 |
Malta | 68% | 78% | 74% | +7 |
Netherlands | 95% | 94% | 94% | +2 |
Poland | 41% | 55% | 50% | +5 |
Portugal | 79% | 73% | 81% | +7 |
Romania | 27% | 27% | 25% | -4 |
Slovakia | 35% | 47% | 37% | +17 |
Slovenia | 42% | 58% | 62% | +0 |
Spain | 87% | 89% | 88% | +2 |
Sweden | 94% | 95% | 94% | +2 |
Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Poland face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. According to ILGA-Europe's 2024 report, the status of LGBTQ rights in Poland is the worst among the European Union countries.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) people in Hungary face legal and social challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Homosexuality is legal in Hungary for both men and women. Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and sex is banned in the country. However, households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for all of the same legal rights available to heterosexual married couples. Registered partnership for same-sex couples was legalised in 2009, but same-sex marriage remains banned. The Hungarian government has passed legislation that restricts the civil rights of LGBT Hungarians – such as ending legal recognition of transgender Hungarians and banning LGBT content and displays for minors. This trend continues under the Fidesz government of Viktor Orbán. In June 2021, Hungary passed an anti-LGBT law on banning "homosexual and transexual propaganda" effective since 1 July. The law has been condemned by seventeen member states of the European Union. In July 2020, the European Commission started legal action against Hungary and Poland for violations of fundamental rights of LGBTQI people, stating: "Europe will never allow parts of our society to be stigmatized."
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) rights in Germany rank among the highest in the world; having evolved significantly over the course of the last decades. During the 1920s and the early 1930s, lesbian and gay people in Berlin were generally tolerated by society and many bars and clubs specifically pertaining to gay men were opened. Although same-sex sexual activity between men was already made illegal under Paragraph 175 by the German Empire in 1871, Nazi Germany extended these laws during World War II, which resulted in the persecution and deaths of thousands of homosexual citizens. The Nazi extensions were repealed in 1960 and same-sex sexual activity between men was decriminalized in both East and West Germany in 1968 and 1969, respectively.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Bulgaria face significant challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female same-sex relationships are legal in Bulgaria, but same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-sex couples. Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation has been banned since 2004, with discrimination based on "gender change" being outlawed since 2015. In July 2019, a Bulgarian court recognized a same-sex marriage performed in France in a landmark ruling. For 2020, Bulgaria was ranked 37 of 49 European countries for LGBT rights protection by ILGA-Europe. Like most countries in Central and Eastern Europe, post-Communist Bulgaria holds socially conservative attitudes when it comes to such matters as homosexuality and transgender people.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) rights in Austria have advanced significantly in the 21st century, and are now considered generally progressive. Both male and female forms of same-sex sexual activity are legal in Austria. Registered partnerships were introduced in 2010, giving same-sex couples some of the rights of marriage. Stepchild adoption was legalised in 2013, while full joint adoption was legalised by the Constitutional Court of Austria in 2016. On 5 December 2017, the Austrian Constitutional Court decided to legalise same-sex marriage, and the ruling went into effect on 1 January 2019.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Bosnia and Herzegovina may face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female forms of same-sex sexual activity are legal in Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-sex couples.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) rights in Iceland rank among the highest in the world. Icelandic culture is generally tolerant towards homosexuality and transgender individuals, and Reykjavík has a visible LGBT community. Iceland ranked first on the Equaldex Equality Index in 2023, and second after Malta according to ILGA-Europe's 2024 LGBT rights ranking, indicating it is one of the safest nations for LGBT people in Europe. Conversion therapy in Iceland has been illegal since 2023.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) rights in Australia rank among the highest in the world; having significantly advanced over the latter half of the 20th century and early 21st century. Opinion polls and the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey indicate widespread popular support for same-sex marriage within the nation. Australia in 2018, in fact was the last of the Five Eyes set of countries - that consisted of namely Canada (2005), New Zealand (2013), United Kingdom (2014) and the United States (2015) to legalize same-sex marriage. A 2013 Pew Research poll found that 79% of Australians agreed that homosexuality should be accepted by society, making it the fifth-most supportive country surveyed in the world. With its long history of LGBTQ activism and annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras festival, Sydney has been named one of the most gay-friendly cities in the world.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) rights in Belgium are regarded as some of the most progressive in Europe and the world. In 2023, ILGA-Europe ranked Belgium as second in the European Union for LGBT rights protection, behind Malta. In 2024, ILGA-Europe ranked Belgium the third highest after Malta and Iceland.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Cyprus have evolved in recent years, but LGBTQ people still face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female expressions of same-sex sexual activity were decriminalised in 1998, and civil unions which grant several of the rights and benefits of marriage have been legal since December 2015. Conversion therapy was banned in Cyprus in May 2023. However, adoption rights in Cyprus are reserved for heterosexual couples only.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Albania face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents, although LGBT people are protected under comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation. Both male and female same-gender sexual activities have been legal in Albania since 1995, but households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-gender couples, with same-sex unions not being recognized in the country in any form.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Azerbaijan face significant challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Same-sex sexual activity has been legal in Azerbaijan since 1 September 2000. Nonetheless, discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity are not banned in the country and same-sex marriage is not recognized.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) rights in Latvia have expanded substantially in recent years, although LGBT people still face various challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female types of same-sex sexual activity are legal in Latvia, but households headed by same-sex couples are ineligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-sex couples. Since May 2022, same-sex couples have been recognized as "family" by the Administrative District Court, which gives them some of the legal protections available to married (opposite-sex) couples; as of 2023 November, around 40 couples have been registered via this procedure. In November 2023 registered partnerships were codified into law. These partnerships are available to both same and different sex couples - since July 1, 2024 the implemented registered partnership law has the similar rights and obligations as married couples - with the exception of the title of marriage, and adoption or inheritance rights.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in Luxembourg have the same legal rights as non-LGBTQ people. Partnerships, which grant many of the benefits of marriage, have been recognised since 2004. In June 2014, the Luxembourgish Parliament passed a law enabling same-sex marriage and adoption rights, which took effect on 1 January 2015. Additionally, discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and "change of sex" in employment, healthcare and the provision of goods and services is outlawed, and transgender people are allowed to change their legal gender on the basis of self-determination.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) rights in Malta rank among the highest in the world. Throughout the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the rights of the LGBTQ community received more awareness and same-sex sexual activity was legalized on 29 January 1973. The prohibition was already dormant by the 1890s.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) rights in Portugal are among the most advanced in the world; having improved substantially in the 21st century. After a long period of oppression during the Estado Novo, Portuguese society has become increasingly accepting of homosexuality, which was decriminalized in 1982, eight years after the Carnation Revolution. Portugal has wide-ranging anti-discrimination laws and is one of the few countries in the world to contain a ban on discrimination based on sexual orientation in its Constitution. On 5 June 2010, the state became the eighth in the world to recognize same-sex marriage. On 1 March 2011, a gender identity law, said to be one of the most advanced in the world, was passed to simplify the process of sex and name change for transgender people. Same-sex couples have been permitted to adopt since 1 March 2016.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) rights are widely diverse in Europe per country. 22 of the 38 countries that have legalised same-sex marriage worldwide are situated in Europe. A further 11 European countries have legalised civil unions or other forms of recognition for same-sex couples.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) rights in the British Crown dependency of Jersey have evolved significantly since the early 1990s. Same-sex sexual activity was decriminalised in 1990. Since then, LGBTQ people have been given many more rights equal to that of heterosexuals, such as an equal age of consent (2006), the right to change legal gender for transgender people (2010), the right to enter into civil partnerships (2012), the right to adopt children (2012) and very broad anti-discrimination and legal protections on the basis of "sexual orientation, gender reassignment and intersex status" (2015). Jersey is the only British territory that explicitly includes "intersex status" within anti-discrimination laws. Same-sex marriage has been legal in Jersey since 1 July 2018.
Matrimony shall be a free union between a man and a woman.
Marriage, being a union of a man and a woman, as well as the family, motherhood and parenthood, shall be placed under the protection and care of the Republic of Poland.
W dotychczasowym orzecznictwie Sądu Najwyższego, wypracowanym i ugruntowanym zarówno w okresie obowiązywania poprzedniego, jak i obecnego Kodeksu postępowania karnego, a także w doktrynie (por. wypowiedzi W. Woltera, A. Zolla, A. Wąska), pojęcie "wspólne pożycie" odnoszone jest wyłącznie do konkubinatu, a w szczególności do związku osób o różnej płci, odpowiadającego od strony faktycznej stosunkowi małżeństwa (którym w myśl art. 18 Konstytucji jest wyłącznie związek osób różnej płci). Tego rodzaju interpretację Sąd Najwyższy, orzekający w niniejszej sprawie, w pełni podziela i nie znajduje podstaw do uznania za przekonywujące tych wypowiedzi pojawiających się w piśmiennictwie, w których podejmowane są próby kwestionowania takiej interpretacji omawianego pojęcia i sprowadzania go wyłącznie do konkubinatu (M. Płachta, K. Łojewski, A.M. Liberkowski). Rozumiejąc bowiem dążenia do rozszerzającej interpretacji pojęcia "wspólne pożycie", użytego w art. 115 § 11 k.k., należy jednak wskazać na całkowity brak w tym względzie dostatecznie precyzyjnych kryteriów.
Polska Konstytucja określa bowiem małżeństwo jako związek wyłącznie kobiety i mężczyzny. A contrario nie dopuszcza więc związków jednopłciowych. [...] Małżeństwo (jako związek kobiety i mężczyzny) uzyskało w prawie krajowym RP odrębny status konstytucyjny zdeterminowany postanowieniami art. 18 Konstytucji. Zmiana tego statusu byłaby możliwa jedynie przy zachowaniu rygorów trybu zmiany Konstytucji, określonych w art. 235 tego aktu.
W doktrynie prawa konstytucyjnego wskazuje się nadto, że jedyny element normatywny, dający się odkodować z art. 18 Konstytucji, to ustalenie zasady heteroseksualności małżeństwa.
Ustawa o świadczeniach zdrowotnych finansowanych ze środków publicznych nie wyjaśnia, co prawda, kto jest małżonkiem. Pojęcie to zostało jednak dostatecznie i jasno określone we wspomnianym art. 18 Konstytucji RP, w którym jest mowa o małżeństwie jako o związku kobiety i mężczyzny. W piśmiennictwie podkreśla się, że art. 18 Konstytucji ustala zasadę heteroseksualności małżeństwa, będącą nie tyle zasadą ustroju, co normą prawną, która zakazuje ustawodawcy zwykłemu nadawania charakteru małżeństwa związkom pomiędzy osobami jednej płci (vide: L. Garlicki Komentarz do art. 18 Konstytucji, s. 2-3 [w:] Konstytucja Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej. Komentarz, Wydawnictwo Sejmowe, Warszawa 2003). Jest wobec tego oczywiste, że małżeństwem w świetle Konstytucji i co za tym idzie - w świetle polskiego prawa, może być i jest wyłącznie związek heteroseksualny, a więc w związku małżeńskim małżonkami nie mogą być osoby tej samej płci.
art. 18 Konstytucji RP, który definiuje małżeństwo jako związek kobiety i mężczyzny, a tym samym wynika z niego zasada nakazująca jako małżeństwo traktować w Polsce jedynie związek heteroseksualny.