2004 in LGBT Rights

In 2004, there were 54 recorded legal changes made affecting LGBT people. In the previous year, there were 103 changes made and 77 in the following year. A total of 645 legal changes were made in the 2000s.

  • December 30
    LGBT discrimination becomes illegal.
    French law applies
  • LGBT discrimination becomes illegal.
  • December 29
    LGBT housing discrimination becomes sexual orientation only.
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  • LGBT employment discrimination becomes sexual orientation only.
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  • LGBT discrimination becomes illegal.
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  • LGBT discrimination becomes illegal in some contexts.
    Treats of administrative penalties to be applied to companies that practice discrimination based on sexual orientation
  • December 21
    Same-sex marriage becomes legal.
    Same-sex marriage is legal.
  • November 9
    Same-sex marriage becomes not legal.
    Marriage is recognized by law only between a man and a woman
  • November 5
    Same-sex marriage becomes legal.
    Queen's Bench Justice Donna Wilson Ruled It unconstitutional.
  • November 4
    Same-sex marriage becomes not legal.
    The state passed a constitutional amendment to ban same sex marriage.
  • Same-sex marriage becomes not legal.
    Constitutional amendment adopted by state wide vote in 2004. Passed with 62% of the vote. Text of amendment follows: § 15.11 Marriage Amendment Only a union between one man and one woman may be a marriage valid in or recognized by this state and its political subdivisions. This state and its political subdivisions shall not create or recognize a legal status for relationships of unmarried individuals that intends to approximate the design, qualities, significance or effect of marriage.
  • November 2
    Same-sex marriage becomes unrecognized.
    Proposal 2 passed in 2004 defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman
  • Same-sex marriage becomes unrecognized, same-sex marriage and civil unions banned.
    Also note that it does not matter where a same-sex couple was married, Arkansas states that all such marriages are void in the eyes of the state.
  • Same-sex marriage becomes unrecognized, same-sex marriage and civil unions banned.
    The Commonwealth of Kentucky only recognizes marriages between a man and woman regardless of where the ceremony was performed.
  • November 1
    Same-sex adoption becomes legal.
  • October 19
    Right to change legal gender becomes legal, but requires medical diagnosis.
    In Florida you have the right to change your gender on your birth certificate and driver's license. In both cases, a physician is required to attest that you are receiving "appropriate treatment". What exactly is considered appropriate seems to be at the discretion of the physician. As such, surgery is not required. As of 2023 it is much harder to get gender affirming care as a minor and a adult, Nurse Practitioners are banned from giving HRT in all forms. The Don't Say Gay bill was expanded to include a ban of HRT to Minors and Adults. The only other way to get it is through a doctor. Additionally, before beginning hormone therapy, adults are required to have a psychological evaluation performed by a Florida-licensed psychologist or psychiatrist and then every two years thereafter. At the end of June, the Florida Board of Medicine adopted an emergency rule giving patients already on treatment six months to adapt to the new requirements.
  • September 25
    LGBT employment discrimination becomes sexual orientation and gender identity.
    State law provides for protections against employment discrimination in regards to both sexual orientation and gender identification.
  • September 24
    Same-sex marriage becomes legal.
    Gay marriage became legal in Nova Scotia on September 24th, 2004.
  • September 18
    Same-sex marriage becomes not legal.
    The state passed a referendum question defining marriage to be a union between one man and one woman.
  • September 16
    Same-sex marriage becomes legal.
    Manitoba legalized gay marriage on September 16th, 2004.
  • September
    LGBT housing discrimination becomes sexual orientation only.
    From 2004 to 2013 the housing discrimination status was sexual orientation only in Kosovo.
  • LGBT employment discrimination becomes sexual orientation only.
    Employment discrimination status was sexual orientation only from 2004 to 2013
  • LGBT discrimination becomes illegal in some contexts.
    Sexual orientation only
  • August 25
    Same-sex marriage becomes unrecognized.
    Marriage is defined as a union between a man and a woman
  • August 18
    LGBT housing discrimination becomes sexual orientation and gender identity.
  • LGBT employment discrimination becomes sexual orientation and gender identity.
  • August 17
    LGBT discrimination becomes illegal.
    Defines a hate crime as a criminal act committed because the victim's perceived: disability, gender, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics. Protections also include gender identification. Also, In 2014, California became the first state in the U.S. to officially ban the use of gay panic and transgender panic defenses in murder trials.
  • August 11
    Same-sex marriage becomes unrecognized.
    Proposed on Legalizing Gay marriage by the King of Bhutan.
  • Homosexual activity becomes illegal (imprisonment as punishment).
    Offence of "unnatural" sex is considered a petty misdemeanor in article 213 & 214.
  • August 4
    Same-sex adoption becomes legal.
    Any adults are permitted to petition jointly or individually before the court to request adoption, regardless of sexual orientation. §19-5-202. Second-parent adoption by same-sex couples is permitted per Colo. Rev. §19-5-203 et seq.
  • August 1
    LGBT employment discrimination becomes sexual orientation and gender identity.
    Protection
  • Serving openly in military becomes lesbians, gays, bisexuals permitted, transgender people banned.
    Only 22 Countries allow transgender service Bulgaria is not one of them.
  • July 24
    LGBT discrimination becomes illegal in some contexts.
    Article 13 explicitly prohibits discriminations on the basis of sexual orientations
  • July 16
    Right to change legal gender becomes legal, but requires surgery.
    Act No.111 of 2003 requires for transgender people to change their legal gender, (1) be at least 20 years of age, (2) not currently married, (3) no child, (4) infertile (no gonads or persistent lack of gonadal function), (5) and has a body which appears to have genital parts of those of the opposite sex. And also requires medical certificate by two or more psychiatrist.
  • July 14
    Same-sex marriage becomes legal.
    Became the fourth Jurisdiction to legalize Gay marriage.
  • July 1
    Same-sex marriage becomes unrecognized.
    Same-sex marriages and civil unions are prohibited in Georgia. Marriages between people of the same sex are not entitled the status of marriage. Foreign same-sex marriages also stand void here and are not covered by the jurisdiction, whatsoever be the circumstances.
  • May 17
    Same-sex marriage becomes legal.
    In 2004, Massachusetts became the first US state to legalize same-sex marriage.
  • May 14
    Same-sex marriage becomes varies by region.
    Legal status is extremely variable based on the individual state. Recognized at a Federal level, but not in all states, for all intents and purposes except Social Security. Social Security is based on the state of residence's recognition of marital status.
  • May 1
    Serving openly in military becomes legal.
    LGBT people are allowed to serve openly under new rules brought into place when Cyprus joined the European Union
  • March 19
    Same-sex marriage becomes legal.
    Quebec legalized gay marriage and was the third to do so. After gay couple Michael Hendricks and René Leboeuf went to court and invalidated parts of the law preventing them from getting married. This became effective on March 19th, 2004. Gay marriage became legalized federally on July 20th, 2025.
  • March 15
    Right to change legal gender becomes legal, but requires medical diagnosis.
    The Alteration of Sex Description and Sex Status Act allows people to apply to have their sex status altered in the population registry, and consequently to receive identity documents and passports indicating their gender identity. The law states that transgender persons must undergo gender reassignment. This includes medical interventions but is not limited to surgery alone. Hormone therapy is considered to be gender reassignment, therefore surgery per se is not required.
  • March 12
    LGBT housing discrimination becomes sexual orientation and gender identity.
    just recently added protection
  • March 1
    LGBT discrimination becomes varies by region.
    In Tuscany, Piedmont, Liguria, Marche, Umbria, Sicily and Emilia-Romagna discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity is banned
  • Equal age of consent becomes equal.
  • Homosexual activity becomes legal.
    Homosexual activity is legal in Cape Verde.
  • February 10
    Legal recognition of non-binary gender becomes not legally recognized.
    No official ‘x’ marking option on official documents, applications etc. for non binary individuals.
  • Legal recognition of non-binary gender becomes not legally recognized.
    Due to the fact that the UK does not recognise non-binary gender identity, Wales does not currently recognise non-binary gender identity
  • Legal recognition of non-binary gender becomes not legally recognized.
    No official ‘x’ marking option on official documents, applications etc. for non binary individuals.
  • Legal recognition of non-binary gender becomes not legally recognized.
    In 2021 the UK government said (in response to a petition) that legal recognition of non-binary gender identity would have "complex practical consequences for other areas of the law, service provision and public life", and said that they felt existing legislation allowing people to change their legal gender went far enough. Courts have, however, ruled that people with non-binary identities are protected from discrimination by the Equality Act. On 4 October 2023, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak asserted his stance on gender identity in a speech Wednesday, stating it was “common sense” that “a man is a man and a woman is a woman”.
  • February 1
    LGBT housing discrimination becomes sexual orientation and gender identity.
  • LGBT employment discrimination becomes sexual orientation and gender identity.
  • LGBT discrimination becomes illegal.
    Lgbtq+ from Finland are protected from all types of discrimination
  • January 10
    Legal recognition of non-binary gender becomes not legally recognized.
    In 2021 the UK government said (in response to a petition) that legal recognition of non-binary gender identity would have "complex practical consequences for other areas of the law, service provision and public life", and said that they felt existing legislation allowing people to change their legal gender went far enough. Courts have, however, ruled that people with non-binary identities are protected from discrimination by the Equality Act.
  • January 9
    Right to change legal gender becomes legal, but requires surgery.
    NAC 440.130 provides allowance for persons to change gender on birth certificates and other vital records so long as a certifying physicians signs off on the persons gender identity.