LGBT Rights in Finland

Homosexuality: ⚢
✔ Legal
Gay Marriage: ⚭
✔ Legal
Censorship: ✔ No censorship
Changing Gender: ✔ Legal, no restrictions
Gender-Affirming Care: ✖ Legal, but restricted for minors
Non-Binary Gender Recognition: ✖ Not legally recognized
Discrimination: ✔ Illegal
Employment Discrimination: ✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity
Housing Discrimination: ✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity
Adoption: ✔ Legal
Intersex Infant Surgery: ✖ Not banned
Military: ✔ Legal
Donating Blood: ✔ Legal
Conversion Therapy: ✖ Not banned
Age of Consent: ✔ Equal

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Public Opinion

Suggest Public Opinion Data

Recent surveys in Finland have revealed a mixed response towards LGBTQ+ rights and issues.

OPPOSE

SUPPORT

Percentage of the LBGTIQ population who have experienced a conversion practice (EU) (2023)

Ranked #1 of 30 regions

Question: Have you experienced any of the interventions to change your sexual orientation and/or gender identity including: intervention by family members; prayer, religious ritual or religious counselling; psychological or psychiatric treatment; medication; physical violence (such as beatings); sexual violence; verbal abuse or humiliation; other?

Source: FRA - EU Agency for fundamental rights, June-Avgust 2023

Yes

31%

27.7%

study avg.

Comfort with having the highest elected political position be gay, lesbian or bisexual (EU) (2015)

Ranked #17 of 28 regions

Question: And using a scale from 1 to 10, please tell me how you would feel having a person from each of the following groups in the highest elected political position in (OUR COUNTRY). '1' means that you would feel "not at all comfortable" and '10' that you would feel totally comfortable". A gay, lesbian, or bisexual person

Source: Eurobarometer, May 30th to June 8th 2015

Total Uncomfortable (1-4)

24%

28.1%

study avg.

Total Comfortable (7-10)

31%

46.3%

study avg.

Comfort working with a gay, lesbian, or bisexual colleague (EU) (2015)

Ranked #17 of 28 regions

Question: Regardless of whether you are actually working or not, please tell me, using a scale from 1 to 10, how comfortable you would feel if one of your colleagues at work belonged to each of the following groups? '1' means that you would feel "not at all comfortable" and '10' that you would feel "totally comfortable".A gay, lesbian or bisexual person?

Source: Eurobarometer, May 30th to June 8th 2015

Total Uncomfortable (1-4)

12%

18.2%

study avg.

Total Comfortable (7-10)

44%

56.9%

study avg.

Show 37 More

Support for same-sex marriage

(Taloustutkimus, 2012)

47%

Support

38%

Oppose

Perception of LGBTQ+ People

Rate This Region

Survey results from 10 LGBTQ+ Equaldex users who lived in or visited Finland.

Overall
Overall

Perceived Safety*
Feel safe being open
Absence of verbal harassment
Absence of threats and violence
*Survey results represent personal perceptions of safety and may not be indicative of current actual conditions.

Equal Treatment
Treatment by peers
Treatment by family
Treatment at school
Treatment by general public
Treatment by businesses
Treatment by law enforcement
Treatment by religious groups

Visibility & Representation
Inclusion in education
Representation in entertainment
Representation in news
Political support
Out public figures

Culture
Pride/events
Nightlife
Dating life
Interest groups and clubs

Services
Health and wellness
Gender-affirming care
Support and social services
Advocacy and legal

History

Homosexual activity in Finland

Homosexual activity in Finland is legal.

Current status

Since 1971

Legal

Finland decriminalised gay sex in 1971, although it was not until the 1980s that homosexuality was declassified as an illness.

LGBT Rights in Finland

Public Opinion

Perceptions of local area as a "good place" for gay and lesbian people (2023)

Hide being LGBTIQ at work 'often’ or ‘always' (EU) (2023)

Percentage of the LBGTIQ population who have experienced a conversion practice (EU) (2023)

Approval of gay male parents (2023)

Approval of lesbian parents (2023)

Justifiability of homosexuality (2022)

Acceptance of homosexuals as neighbors (2022)

Opinion on same-sex couples as parents (2020)

Support for the right of gay and lesbian people to live freely (2020)

Acceptance of having a close gay family member (2020)

Perceived prevalence of discrimination against sexual orientation (European Union) (2019)

Perceived prevalence of discrimination against transgender people (European Union) (2019)

Acceptance of same-sex relationships (European Union) (2019)

Support for transgender people changing legal gender (European Union) (2019)

Acceptance of having a close gay family member (2018)

Support for the right of gay and lesbian people to live freely (2018)

Acceptance of having a close gay family member (2016)

Support for the right of gay and lesbian people to live freely (2016)

Perceived widespread discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation (2015)

Perceived widespread discrimination on the basis of gender identity (2015)

Diversity is sufficiently reflected in the media, in terms of sexual orientation (2015)

Diversity is sufficiently reflected in the media, in terms of gender identity (2015)

Gay, lesbian, and bisexual people should have the same rights as heterosexual people (EU) (2015)

There is nothing wrong in a sexual relationship between two persons of the same sex (EU) (2015)

Support for same-sex marriage (EU) (2015)

Comfort with having the highest elected political position be gay, lesbian or bisexual (EU) (2015)

Comfort working with a gay, lesbian, or bisexual colleague (EU) (2015)

Support for the right of gay and lesbian people to live freely (2014)

Perceptions of local area as a "good place" for gay and lesbian people (2013)

Support for the right of gay and lesbian people to live freely (2012)

Support for the right of gay and lesbian people to live freely (2010)

Justifiability of homosexuality (2009)

Acceptance of homosexuals as neighbors (2009)

Support for the right of gay and lesbian people to live freely (2008)

Perceptions of local area as a "good place" for gay and lesbian people to live (2007)

Support for same-sex marriage in Europe (2006)

Support for gay adoption (2006)

Support for the right of gay and lesbian people to live freely (2006)

Support for the right of gay and lesbian people to live freely (2004)

Support for the right of gay and lesbian people to live freely (2002)

Acceptance of homosexuals as neighbors (1999)

Justifiability of homosexuality (1999)

Justifiability of homosexuality (1984)

Support for same-sex marriage

Perception of LGBTQ+ People

Overall

Perceived Safety*

Equal Treatment

Visibility & Representation

Culture

Services

History

Homosexual activity in Finland

Same-sex marriage in Finland

Censorship of LGBT issues in Finland

Right to change legal gender in Finland

Gender-affirming care in Finland

Legal recognition of non-binary gender in Finland

LGBT discrimination in Finland

LGBT employment discrimination in Finland

LGBT housing discrimination in Finland

Same-sex adoption in Finland

Intersex infant surgery in Finland

Serving openly in military in Finland

Blood donations by MSMs in Finland

Conversion therapy in Finland

Equal age of consent in Finland

LGBT Rights by Region

Equality Rank

Top Contributors

5 Users Live in Finland

Finland LGBT Organizations

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