LGBTQ rights in Comoros | |
---|---|
Status | Illegal [1] |
Penalty | 5 years imprisonment, and a fine [2] |
Gender identity | No |
Military | No |
Discrimination protections | No |
Family rights | |
Recognition of relationships | No recognition of same-sex unions |
Adoption | No |
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Comoros face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. LGBT persons are regularly prosecuted by the government and additionally face stigmatization among the broader population.
Both male and female same-sex sexual acts are illegal in Comoros. Such acts are punished with up to five years imprisonment and a fine of 50,000 to 1,000,000 francs. [1] [3]
There is no recognition of legal rights for same-sex couples. [4]
There is no legal protection against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. [4]
The U.S. Department of State's 2010 Human Rights Report found that "persons engaging in homosexual activity did not publicly discuss their sexual orientation due to societal pressure. There are no lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender organizations in the country." [5]
Same-sex sexual activity legal | (Penalty: 5 years imprisonment and/or fine) |
Equal age of consent | |
Anti-discrimination laws in employment only | |
Anti-discrimination laws in the provision of goods and services | |
Anti-discrimination laws in all other areas (incl. indirect discrimination, hate speech) | |
Same-sex marriages | |
Recognition of same-sex couples | |
Step-child adoption by same-sex couples | |
Joint adoption by same-sex couples | |
Gays and lesbians allowed to serve openly in the military | |
Right to change legal gender | |
Access to IVF for lesbians | |
Commercial surrogacy for gay male couples | |
MSMs allowed to donate blood |
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Chad face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Both male and female forms of same-sex sexual activity are illegal in the country. Before the new penal code took effect in August 2017, homosexual activity between adults had never been criminalised. There is no legal protection against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Niger face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Although same-sex sexual activity is legal, the Nigerien LGBT community faces stigmatization among the broader population.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Mali face legal and societal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Although same-sex sexual activity is not illegal in Mali, LGBT people face widespread discrimination among the broader population. According to the 2007 Pew Global Attitudes Project, 98 percent of Malian adults believed that homosexuality is considered something society should not accept, which was the highest rate of non-acceptance in the 45 countries surveyed. The Constitution of Mali has outlawed same-sex marriage since 2023.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) face discrimination and legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Same-sex sexual activity is legal for both males and females in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, although LGBT individuals may still be targeted for prosecution under public indecency provisions on occasion.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the Republic of the Congo face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Both male and female expressions of homosexuality are legal in the Republic of the Congo, but same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-sex couples, with reports of discrimination and abuses towards LGBT people.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Gabon face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Except for a period between July 2019 and June 2020, same-sex sexual activity has generally been legal in Gabon.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Burkina Faso face legal issues not experienced by non-LGBTQ citizens. Although same-sex sexual acts are legal for both men and women in Burkina Faso, there is no legal recognition of same-sex marriage or adoption rights.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Kazakhstan face significant challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Both male and female kinds of same-sex sexual activity are legal in Kazakhstan, but same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-sex married couples.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Burundi face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ citizens. While never criminalized before 2009, Burundi has since criminalized same-sex sexual activity by both men and women with a penalty up to two years in prison and a fine. LGBT persons are regularly prosecuted and persecuted by the government and additionally face stigmatisation among the broader population.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Tajikistan face significant challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Both male and female types of same-sex sexual activity are legal in Tajikistan, but same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections available to heterosexual married couples.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Solomon Islands face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Male same-sex sexual activity is illegal, punishable by up to 14 years imprisonment, but the law is not enforced.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Guinea-Bissau face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Guinea-Bissau, but same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-sex couples.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in Montserrat face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Same-sex sexual activity has been legal in Montserrat since 2001.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in the British Overseas Territory of the Turks and Caicos Islands face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Same-sex sexual activity has been legal in the Turks and Caicos Islands since 2001, and discrimination based on sexual orientation is constitutionally banned.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in São Tomé and Príncipe face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Both male and female forms of same-sex sexual activity are legal in São Tomé and Príncipe, however LGBT persons face stigmatization among the broader population.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Seychelles face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Same-sex sexual activity has been legal since 2016, and employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is banned in Seychelles, making it one of the few African countries to have such protections for LGBT people. However, LGBT people may nonetheless face stigmatization among the broader population.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Lesotho face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Lesotho does not recognise same-sex marriages or civil unions, nor does it ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Togo face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Both male and female forms of same-sex sexual activity are illegal in Togo, with no legal recognition for same-sex marriage or adoption rights.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Equatorial Guinea face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Both male and female kinds of same-sex sexual activity are legal in Equatorial Guinea, however LGBT persons face stigmatization among the broader population, and same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections available as opposite-sex couples.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Mozambique face legal challenges not faced by non-LGBTQ people. Same-sex sexual activity became legal in Mozambique under the new Criminal Code that took effect in June 2015. Discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment has been illegal since 2007.