- Homosexuality
- ⚢✔ Legal
- Gay Marriage
- ⚭✖ Banned
- Censorship
- ✖ State-enforced
- Changing Gender
- Ambiguous
- Gender-Affirming Care
- ✖ Restricted
- Non-Binary Gender Recognition
- ✖ Not legally recognized
- Discrimination
- ✖ No protections
- Employment Discrimination
- ✖ No protections
- Housing Discrimination
- ✖ No protections
- Adoption
- ✖ Single only
- Intersex Infant Surgery
- ✖ Not banned
- Military
- Unknown
- Donating Blood
- ✖ Banned (indefinite deferral)
- Conversion Therapy
- ✖ Not banned
- Age of Consent
- ✖ Unequal
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Public Opinion
According to recent survey data, there appears to be strong opposition to LGBTQ+ rights in Côte d’Ivoire.
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Homosexual activity in Côte d’Ivoire is legal.
Current status
Legal
Homosexuality has not been criminalised in Côte d'Ivoire because when they were governed by the French penal code as a French colony, sodomy was not criminalised, and to this day it has not been criminalised by successive governments. However, the penal code imposes a higher punishment on homosexual sexual activity in public than heterosexual.
Censorship of LGBT issues in Côte d’Ivoire is state-enforced.
Current status
Since Jun 26, 2019
State-enforced
The Penal Code of Cote d'Ivoire of 2019 removed explicit mentions of same-sex activity in Article 360, but there are still excerpts of the code that could be used to censor LGBTIQ+ topics in practice. There is limited information on the enforcement of these statutes, but there have been reports of government inaction and refusal to allow LGBT organisations to register as charities.
Imprisonment as punishment
The 1981 Penal Code of Cote d'Ivoire contained Article 360, which gives a penalty of three months to two years imprisonment for "acts of outrage to public decency". The code also contained a clause stating that if it was an "improper or unnatural act with a person of the same sex", the sentence would be imprisonment from six months to two years instead.
There was no information as to whether it was used to persecute LGBTIQ+ people in practice but the explicit provision was removed in the 2019 Penal Code.
There was no information as to whether it was used to persecute LGBTIQ+ people in practice but the explicit provision was removed in the 2019 Penal Code.
Right to change legal gender in Côte d’Ivoire is ambiguous.
Current status
Since Jan 1, 2018
Ambiguous
Both the repealed Civil Status Law (1964) and its replacement, the Law Relating to Civil Status (Law No. 2018-862) (2018) indicate in Chapter 7 that the President of the Abidjan Court of First Instance has the authority to order the "rectification of civil status records" when petitioned by an applicant or by a public prosecutor. The legislation does not specify what data may be changed and under what circumstances, so it is unclear whether trans and gender-diverse persons would be permitted to make amendments thereunder. Any amendments made must be noted in the records of the Civil Registry.
Gender-affirming care in Côte d’Ivoire is restricted.
Current status
Restricted
In Ivory Coast, medical transitions between the sexes are limited.
Legal recognition of non-binary gender in Côte d’Ivoire is not legally recognized.
Current status
Not legally recognized
No legal recognition.
LGBT discrimination in Côte d’Ivoire is no protections.
Current status
No protections
There are no protections from discrimination provided to LGBTIQ+ people in Cote d'Ivoire.
LGBT employment discrimination in Côte d’Ivoire is no protections.
Current status
No protections
There are no protections from discrimination in employment for LGBT people and incidents are reportedly quite widespread.
LGBT housing discrimination in Côte d’Ivoire is no protections.
Current status
No protections
There are no protections from discrimination in housing for LGBT people and incidents are reportedly quite widespread.
Same-sex adoption in Côte d’Ivoire is single only.
Current status
Single only
Intersex infant surgery in Côte d’Ivoire is not banned.
Current status
Not banned
There is no ban on surgeries performed on intersex infants in Côte d'Ivoire.
Serving openly in military in Côte d’Ivoire is unknown.
Current status
Unknown
Blood donations by MSMs in Côte d’Ivoire is banned (indefinite deferral).
Current status
Banned (indefinite deferral)
Permanent deferral for homosexual and bisexual people.
Conversion therapy in Côte d’Ivoire is not banned.
Current status
Not banned
Conversion therapy is not banned.
Equal age of consent in Côte d’Ivoire is unequal.
Current status
Unequal
The age of consent for heterosexual sex is 15, while for homosexual sex it is 18.
LGBT Rights by Region
View the LGBT laws in each individual region of Côte d’Ivoire.
Equality Rank
#174
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