Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Liechtenstein have several but not all of the same rights as non-LGBT people. Same-sex sexual activity has been legal since 1989, with an equal age of consent since 2001. Same-sex couples have had access to registered partnerships since 2011, and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation has been outlawed in some areas since 2016.
On 8 March 2024, the Liechtenstein government passed a bill by a vote of 24-1 regarding same-sex marriage rights on its first reading, with the legislation expected to go into effect on 1 January 2025.[1][2] An awaiting final reading vote is expected within May,[3][4] on the bill for same-sex marriage.
Law regarding same-sex sexual activity
Same-sex sexual activity was legalized in 1989 by the removal of Sections 129 and 130 of the Criminal Code, though the age of consent was not equalized until 2001. The Penal Code was revised in December 2000 to remove all discrimination against same-sex sexual activity, taking effect in 2001. The age of consent is 14, regardless of gender and sexual orientation.
In 2001, the Free List, one of the three political parties in the country, began working on a draft for a same-sex partnership law. The paper was accepted by the Landtag and given to the Liechtenstein Government. The proposed registered partnership bill was rejected by the Parliament in summer 2003. A new proposal by the Free List was adopted by the Landtag with a majority of 19 votes to 6 on 24 October 2007. Justice Minister Aurelia Frick presented the draft of the registered partnership bill in April 2010. On 23 November, the government approved the final version of the bill.[5][6] On 16 December 2010, it was approved by the Landtag in the first reading.[7] It passed its second reading on 16 March and was published on 21 March 2011.[8][9] A group Vox Populi announced its intention to force a referendum on the matter.[10][11] According to the Constitution, the organization had 30 days to collect at least 1,000 signatures.[12] A referendum was held on 17 and 19 June 2011 and 68.8% of voters approved the law, which then went into effect on 1 September 2011.[13]
According to a report approved by the Liechtenstein government in October 2022, the current partnership law uses "gender-equitable formulations" in its general clauses and legal definitions, implying that both same-sex and opposite-sex couples can enter into registered partnerships under the current law.[14][lower-alpha 1]
Since 1 January 2017, registered partners have been allowed to have a common "name" as equivalent to a "family name" for married couples.
In 2018, a gay couple filed suit in court, arguing that the same-sex marriage ban is in violation of the European Convention on Human Rights and the Constitution of Liechtenstein. Although a court of first instance initially ruled for the couple, the State Court (StGH) ruled in September 2019 that banning same-sex marriage is not unconstitutional. However, the court concluded that several provisions of the 2011 partnership law were discriminatory, notably its provisions prohibiting civil partners from adopting their stepchildren (so-called stepchild adoption).[15]
On 21 September 2022, a motion calling on the government to introduce a bill legalizing same-sex marriage[16] was submitted to the Landtag by 15 out of the 25 sitting members.[lower-alpha 2][17][18] The motion was discussed in the plenary session on 2 November 2022, and was passed by a 23–2 vote.[19][20][21]
On 11 July 2023, the government adopted a consultation report regarding proposed changes to three existing laws as part of the motion's implementation: the Marriage Act, the Partnership Act, and the Personal and Company Act. A consultation period ended on 10 October 2023.[22][23][24] In August 2023, Prime Minister Daniel Risch said that the legalization of same-sex marriage "should be coming very soon".[25] On 6 February 2024, the government adopted the results of the consultation report along with the proposal regarding the amendment of the three aforementioned laws. Under the proposal, no new registered partnerships would be established in Liechtenstein, although existing ones would continue to be recognised and could be converted into marriage via a simple procedure.[26][27][28] The bill passed its first reading on 8 March 2024 with 24 votes in favor and one against.[29][30][31][32] Final vote on the proposal is expected to be carried out before the summer break.[33]
b. Served as a substitute deputy for Peter Frick throughout the plenary legislative session.
Adoption and parenting
On 1 January 2016, during his annual New Year's Day interview, Prince Hans-Adam II announced his opposition to allowing same-sex couples to adopt children.[35]
In September 2019, the State Court ordered the Liechtenstein Government to look into the legalisation of stepchild adoption for civil partners.[15] On 15 June 2021, the State Court of Liechtenstein ruled that registered partners should have the right to adopt, and invalidated the sections of the 2011 partnership law which had forbidden such adoptions. It gave Parliament one year to rectify the issue.[36] Following the court decision, the government drafted a bill granting same-sex couples the right to adopt their stepchildren (i.e. stepchild adoption), which was passed on 6 May 2022. On that same day, Parliament narrowly rejected an amendment that would have excluded same-sex couples from joint adoption and procedures for reproductive medicine for those in registered partnerships.[37][38]
After a consultation period lasting from 6 July to 30 September 2022, the government passed a motion on full adoption equality for same-sex couples on 31 October 2022.[39][40][14][41] The proposal was discussed in its 1st reading in the Landtag on 2 December 2022 and was passed in a 22 to 3 vote.[42][43][44]
b. Served as a substitute deputy for Bettina Petzold-Mähr around the time of the debate & vote.
On 2 March 2023, the proposal was discussed and passed in its 2nd reading. A motion to have the proposed legislation go into effect at an earlier date was defeated with only 8 votes in favor.[46] The legislation was issued in the National Legal Gazette (Liechtensteinisches Landesgesetzblatt) on 25 April 2023[47][48] and went into effect on 1 June 2023.[49]
b. In separate votes, Patriotic Union MP Mario Wohlwend voted in favor of the "Amendment of the Partnership Law", but against the "Amendment of the General Civil Code".
c. Served as a substitute deputy for Dietmar Lampert around the time of the debate & vote.
d. Served as substitute deputies for Sebastian Gassner & Sascha Quaderer around the time of the debate & vote.
Discrimination protections
On 22 February 2005, following a department reorganisation, the Department of Equal Opportunities (German: Stabsstelle für Chancengleichheit) was assigned to include discrimination on sexual orientation in its area of responsibility.
The Act on Media (German: Mediengesetz), enacted in October 2005, declares that media content will be considered illegal if it incites or supports discrimination based on racial or ethnic origin, gender, religion, age, disability or sexual orientation.[51][52]
Since 1 April 2016, harassment and incitement to hatred on the basis of sexual orientation has been banned in Liechtenstein, punishable by up to two years' imprisonment. Section 283(1) of the Penal Code states:[53][54]
(German): Mit Freiheitsstrafe bis zu zwei Jahren ist zu bestrafen, wer öffentlich gegen eine Person oder eine Gruppe von Personen wegen ihrer Rasse, Sprache, Nationalität, Ethnie, Religion oder Weltanschauung, ihres Geschlechts, ihrer Behinderung, ihres Alters oder ihrer sexuellen Ausrichtung zu Hass oder Diskriminierung aufreizt.
(English): Any person shall be punished with imprisonment of up to two years who publicly incites hatred or discrimination against another person or any group of persons on the grounds of their race, language, nationality, ethnic origin, religion or ideology, their gender, disability, age or sexual orientation.
Section 283(6) of the Penal Code prohibits discrimination in public facilities on the basis of, among other categories, sexual orientation.[53]
Blood donation
Liechtenstein follows the same blood donation rules as Austria, where blood donation rules have been non-discriminatory toward LGBT people since summer 2022.[55][56]
Living conditions
A gay and lesbian organization, Flay, was founded in 1998, and organizes social activities for LGBT people in the triangular area between Liechtenstein, Vorarlberg (Austria) and the Swiss Rhine Valley.[57]
Privacy and individual rights are regarded as fundamental assets of Liechtensteiner society. Open and public discrimination against LGBT people is extremely rare and almost completely unheard of. Despite Liechtenstein's reputation as a conservative Catholic nation, same-sex couples and LGBT people more generally face little social differences compared to heterosexuals and are accepted and tolerated. The country is often compared to "a huge family where everyone knows each other and minds their own business with little interference from others". Due partly to the small population, there are no specific gay bars or venues.[58]
A 2017 online poll conducted by the Liechtensteiner Vaterland found majority support for the legalisation of same-sex marriage, at 69%.[59]
Summary table
Same-sex sexual activity legal
(Since 1989)
Equal age of consent (14)
(Since 2001)
Anti-discrimination laws in employment
Anti-discrimination laws in provision of goods and services
/ (Since 2016 for sexual orientation, not gender identity)
Anti-discrimination laws in other areas (hate crimes & indirect discrimination etc.)
/ (Since 2016 for sexual orientation, not gender identity)
Same-sex marriage(s)
(Pending)
Recognition of same-sex couples (e.g. registered partnership)
a. (Indirectly categorized as 'reproductive medicine' & 'medically assisted medicine'): Read Sections 2 & 4.2 (pages 12 & 15 through 16 (top paragraph) respectively) of the provided reference link for details.
↑ Read Section 4.2 (pages 16 (bottom) through 17 (top)) of the provided reference link for details.
↑ The 15 members were Dagmar Bühler-Nigsch (VU), Albert Frick (FBP), Sebastian Gassner (FBP), Manuela Haldner-Schierscher (FL), Norma Heidegger (VU), Franziska Hoop (FBP), Johannes Kaiser (FBP), Georg Kaufmann (FL), Wendelin Lampert (FBP), Daniel Oehry (FBP), Bettina Petzold-Mähr (FBP), Sascha Quaderer (FBP), Patrick Risch (FL), Daniel Seger (FBP), and Karin Zech-Hoop (FBP), representing all members of the FBP (10) and the FL (3), along with 2 members of the VU.
Related Research Articles
The Progressive Citizens' Party in Liechtenstein is a conservative political party in Liechtenstein. The FBP is one of the two major political parties in Liechtenstein, along with the liberal-conservative Patriotic Union. Founded in 1918 along with the now-defunct Christian-Social People's Party, it is the oldest extant party in Liechtenstein.
The Free List is a political party in Liechtenstein. As of 2023, it has three seats in the Landtag of Liechtenstein and is represented in five of the local councils. It was founded in 1985 and described itself as social-democratic and green.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Germany since 1 October 2017. A bill for the legalisation of same-sex marriage passed the Bundestag on 30 June 2017 and the Bundesrat on 7 July. It was signed into law on 20 July by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and published in the Federal Law Gazette on 28 July 2017. Previously, the governing CDU/CSU had refused to legislate on the issue of same-sex marriage. In June 2017, Chancellor Angela Merkel unexpectedly said she hoped the matter would be put to a conscience vote. Consequently, other party leaders organised for a vote to be held in the last week of June during the final legislative session before summer recess. The Bundestag passed the legislation on 30 June by 393 votes to 226, and it went into force on 1 October. Germany was the first country in Central Europe, the fourteenth in Europe, and the 22nd in the world to allow same-sex couples to marry nationwide.
Hans Brunhart is a political figure from Liechtenstein who served as the Prime Minister of Liechtenstein from 1978 to 1993.
Liechtenstein has recognized same-sex registered partnerships since 1 September 2011 following approval by voters in a referendum. Liechtenstein was the second country in the world to pass a partnership law by referendum, after Switzerland in 2005.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Austria since 1 January 2019. On 4 December 2017, the Constitutional Court ruled that the non-discrimination and equality provisions of the Constitution of Austria guarantee same-sex couples the right to marry. The decision took effect on 1 January 2019, making Austria the 24th country in the world and the fifteenth in Europe to allow same-sex couples to marry nationwide. Austria has also recognised same-sex registered partnerships since 1 January 2010, providing several, but not all, of the rights, benefits, obligations and responsibilities of marriage.
Markus Büchel was an advocate and politician from Liechtenstein who served as the Prime Minister of Liechtenstein in 1993.
Liechtensteiner Vaterland is the largest daily newspaper in Liechtenstein. Published by Vaduzer Medienhaus AG, it is the official newspaper of the Patriotic Union party.
Debate has occurred throughout Europe over proposals to legalise same-sex marriage as well as same-sex civil unions. Currently 33 of the 50 countries and the 8 dependent territories in Europe recognise some type of same-sex union, among them most members of the European Union (24/27). Nearly 43% of the European population lives in jurisdictions where same-sex marriage is legal.
Josef Ospelt was a political figure from Liechtenstein who served as the first Prime Minister of Liechtenstein from 1921 to 1922.
Three referendums were held in Liechtenstein during 2011. The first on approving the registered partnership law was held between 17 and 19 June, and was approved by 68.8% of voters. The law went into effect on 1 September. The second was held on 18 September on allowing abortion within the first twelve weeks of pregnancy. Prince Alois had threatened to veto the result of the referendum should it have turned out in favour, but ultimately it was rejected by voters. The third was on building a new national hospital in Vaduz was held on 30 October, and was also rejected.
Dominique Hasler is a Liechtensteiner politician, teacher and educator. She currently serves as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Education and Sport for the Patriotic Union. She was appointed in March 2021 by Prime Minister Daniel Risch in March 2021, succeeding Katrin Eggenberger.
Daniel Risch is a politician from Liechtenstein who has served as the Prime Minister of Liechtenstein since 2021. He was previously Deputy Prime Minister 2017 to 2021, under the government of Adrian Hasler.
Two referendums were held in Liechtenstein during 2022. The first was held on 26 June 2022, in which voters decided on an exemption for pensioners from paying the annual deductible of the national health insurance. The second was held on 18 September on COVID-19 legislation.
Otto Schaedler was a physician and political figure from Liechtenstein who served in the Landtag of Liechtenstein and was one of the founders of the Patriotic Union party.
Peter Marxer was an advocate and political figure from Liechtenstein who served as the president of the Progressive Citizens' Party from 1970 to 1982. He also oversaw the law firm Marxer & Partner Rechtsanwälte from 1962 until his death.
Josef Büchel was a teacher and civil servant from Liechtenstein who served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Liechtenstein from 1957 to 1965.
General elections are scheduled to be held in Liechtenstein on 9 February 2025 to elect the 25 members of the Landtag. They will be the 49th general elections since the ratification of the 1862 constitution.
Four referendums were held in Liechtenstein in 2024. On 21 January 2024 voters were asked three questions: On introducing an obligation to install photovoltaic panels on non-residential buildings, on the reform of the energy standards in the building sector aimed at emulating those applied in Switzerland since 2014 and in the EU since 2010, as well as on stopping the automatic sending of electronic health records to health insurance beneficiaries. All three proposals were rejected by voters.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
