💬 NEW! Join Equaldex's LGBTQ+ Discord to discuss LGBT rights and chat!

LGBT Rights in Ireland

    Homosexuality
    ✔ Legal
    Gay Marriage
    ✔ Legal
    Censorship
    ✔ No censorship
    Changing Gender
    ✔ Legal, no restrictions
    Non-binary gender recognition
    ✖ Not legally recognized
    Discrimination
    ✔ Illegal
    Employment Discrimination
    ✖ Sexual orientation only
    Housing Discrimination
    ✖ Sexual orientation only
    Adoption
    ✔ Legal
    Military
    ✔ Legal
    Donating Blood
    ✔ Legal
    Conversion Therapy
    ✖ Not banned
    Age of Consent
    ✔ Equal

Surveys in Ireland have shown mixed views towards LGBTQ+ rights and issues.

History

Homosexual activity in Ireland

?

Homosexual activity in Ireland is legal.

Current status
Since Jan 1, 1993
Legal
Homosexuality was decriminalized in Ireland with the the passing of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act, 1993.
Added by PaulBrierley  ·  1 accurate vote  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Same-sex marriage in Ireland

?

Same-sex marriage in Ireland is legal.

Current status
Since Nov 16, 2015
Legal
The Thirty-fourth Amendment of the Constitution (Marriage Equality) Bill 2015 (bill no.5 of 2015)
Added by Brett  ·  1 accurate vote  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Jan 1, 2011–May 23, 2015
Civil unions
Granted under the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act, 2010.
Added by danlev  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Censorship of LGBT Issues in Ireland

?

Censorship of LGBT Issues in Ireland is no censorship.

Current status
No censorship
In Ireland, there are no laws restricting the discussion or promotion of LGBTQ+ topics.
Added by equaldex  ·  1 accurate vote  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Right to change legal gender in Ireland

?

Right to change legal gender in Ireland is legal, no restrictions.

Current status
Since Jul 15, 2015
Legal, no restrictions
For adults over 18, individuals can change their legal gender without a surgery. However, for individuals between the age of 16-18, there is a "route to recognition"
Added by vviet93  ·  1 accurate vote  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Jan 2002–Jul 15, 2015
Illegal
No legislation at present, but government has said it will legislate and there has been a landmark court prompting the government to seek legislation surrounding the issue. This legislation has yet to be carried out.
Added by PaulBrierley  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Legal recognition of non-binary gender in Ireland

?

Legal recognition of non-binary gender in Ireland is not legally recognized.

Current status
Not legally recognized
As per the Gender Recognition Act of 2015, residents of the Republic of Ireland can only change their legal gender marker to male or female. The Gender Recognition Act is written in binary terms of gender and there is no mention of non-binary identity in the act.
Added by kjn46  ·  1 accurate vote  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

LGBT discrimination in Ireland

?

LGBT discrimination in Ireland is illegal.

Current status
Since Dec 3, 2015
Illegal
Ireland has removed their religious exceptions for anti-gay discrimination, making it completely illegal now.
Added by MatthewCarroll  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Jan 1, 2000–Jan 1, 2004
Illegal in some contexts
Added by PaulBrierley  ·  1 accurate vote  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

LGBT employment discrimination in Ireland

?

LGBT employment discrimination in Ireland is sexual orientation only.

Current status
Since 1993
Sexual orientation only
In 1993, the Unfair Dismissals Act (1977) was amended by the Unfair Dismissals (Amendment) Act (1993) to provide that dismissal on the grounds of an employee’s "sexual orientation" would automatically be deemed unfair.
In 1998, Section 6(2)(d) of the Employment Equality Act (1999) extended this protection on the basis of "sexual orientation" to other aspects of employment.
The Employment Equality Act (1998) was amended by the Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act (2015), which established that state-funded religious, medical or educational institutions may not discriminate on the basis of "sexual orientation", except in limited cases where “the action is objectively justified by the institution’s aim of preventing the undermining of the religious ethos of the institution”.
Added by Ausyk  ·  1 accurate vote  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Jan 1999–Mar 29, 2011
Sexual orientation only
Ireland's Employment Equality Act, 1998, and the Equal Status Act, 2000 outlawed discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
Added by MatthewCarroll  ·  1 accurate vote  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

LGBT housing discrimination in Ireland

?

LGBT housing discrimination in Ireland is sexual orientation only.

Current status
Since Jan 1, 2000
Sexual orientation only
Ireland's Employment Equality Act, 1998, and the Equal Status Act, 2000 outlawed discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
Added by rory  ·  1 accurate vote  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Jan 1, 2000–Aug 1, 2018
Sexual orientation and gender identity
Under the new anti discrimination protection laws passed 1989-2000.
Added by Ausyk  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Same-sex adoption in Ireland

?

Same-sex adoption in Ireland is legal.

Current status
Since Apr 4, 2015
Legal
As Same Sex Marriage is now fully legal, same sex couples can adopt children. One month before it became legal, same sex couples can also adopt children.
Added by vviet93  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Nov 1, 2010–May 23, 2015
Single only
Law specifies that married couples or single individuals may adopt, but there is no same sex marriage in Ireland at present.
Added by PaulBrierley  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Serving openly in military in Ireland

?

Serving openly in military in Ireland is legal.

Current status
Since Jan 1, 2007
Legal
Section 1.5 of Ireland's Defence Forces's "Equality, Diversity, and Equal Status Policies" state that "the nine (9) grounds on which discrimination is prohibited are: Gender, marital status, family status, disability, sexual orientation, age, religion, race and membership of the Traveller community."
Added by vviet93  ·  1 accurate vote  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

May 1, 1993–Jan 1, 2007
N/A
The Irish Army changed their policy in early 1993
Sources:
www.mamanpoulet.com/17-years-ago-gay-people-and-the-irish-defence-forces/www.mamanpoulet.com/17-years-ago-gay-people-and-the-irish-defence-forces/
Added by ianmcgahon  ·  1 accurate vote  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Blood donations by MSMs in Ireland

?

Blood donations by MSMs in Ireland is legal.

Current status
Since Nov 28, 2022
Legal
Men who have sex with men will no longer have to wait four months before giving blood, as changes to who can donate blood come into effect today. Instead, individual assessments will now be made.
Added by _it4_  ·  1 accurate vote  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Mar 28, 2022–Nov 28, 2022
Banned (3-month deferral)
On March 28, 2022, the deferral period has been reduced to four months.
Added by Notdog1996  ·  1 accurate vote  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Jan 15, 2017–Mar 28, 2022
Banned (1-year deferral)
Also applies to women who have had sex with a man who has ever had sex with another man.
Added by Ausyk  ·  1 accurate vote  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Nov 7, 2011–Jan 14, 2017
Banned (indefinite deferral)
The Irish Blood Transfusion Service bans blood from men who have sex with men. Their policy states: "In order to assure the continued safety of the blood supply, we currently ask those people who may have a particularly high risk of carrying blood-borne viruses not to give blood. This includes men who have ever had sex with another man / men."
Added by PaulBrierley  ·  1 accurate vote  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Conversion therapy in Ireland

?

Conversion therapy in Ireland is not banned.

Current status
Not banned
Conversion therapy is currently not banned in Ireland.
Ireland has vowed to ban conversion therapy by 2024.
Added by Notdog1996  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Equal age of consent in Ireland

?

Equal age of consent in Ireland is equal.

Current status
Since Jan 1, 1993
Equal
The age of consent in Ireland is 17 for heterosexual and homosexual sex. Section 2 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 1993 states: "Subject to sections 3 and 5 of this Act, any rule of law by virtue of which buggery between persons is an offence is hereby abolished."
Added by PaulBrierley  ·  1 accurate vote  ·  Report Error  ·  Log


LGBT Rights by County

View the LGBT laws in each individual county of Ireland.