- Homosexuality
- ⚢✔ Legal
- Gay Marriage
- ⚭✔ Legal
- Censorship
- ✔ No censorship
- Changing Gender
- ✔ Legal, surgery not required
- 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
- Military
- ✔ Legal
- Donating Blood
- ✖ Banned (1-year deferral)
- Conversion Therapy
- ✖ Not banned
- Age of Consent
- ✔ Equal
Public Opinion
Public opinion polls in Norway have found that acceptance for LGBTQ+ individuals is prevalent.
OPPOSE
SUPPORT
History
Homosexual activity in Norway is legal.
Current status
Since Apr 21, 1972
Since Apr 21, 1972
Legal
Norway fully repealed Section 213 of the Norwegian Penal Code, legalizing homosexual activity.
Until Apr 21, 1972
Male illegal, female legal
Section 213 of the Norwegian Penal Code defined sexual intercourse between men to be a crime with the punishment being up to one year of imprisonment.
The law did not include homosexual activity between women.
The law did not include homosexual activity between women.
Censorship of LGBT Issues in Norway is no censorship.
Current status
No censorship
In Norway, there are no laws restricting the discussion or promotion of LGBTQ+ topics.
Right to change legal gender in Norway is legal, surgery not required.
Current status
Since Jul 1, 2016
Since Jul 1, 2016
Legal, surgery not required
Surgery is no longer required as of July 1st, 2016.
Until Jul 1, 2016
Legal, but requires surgery
Changing the gender status was legal, but required gender-reaffirming surgery.
Legal recognition of non-binary gender in Norway is not legally recognized.
Current status
Not legally recognized
Norway does not recognise non-binary genders. Intersex infants are assigned a gender at birth, which may include medical proceedures.
LGBT discrimination in Norway is illegal.
Current status
Since 1981
Since 1981
Illegal
Section 5 of the Act on the Prohibition of Discrimination on the grounds of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Gender Expression bans discrimination towards LGBTQ+ persons.
Norway was the first country in the world to enact a law against the discrimination of LGBT people by amending Paragraph 349a of the Norwegian Penal Code. In the same year Paragraph 135a was amended to prohibit hate speech directed at sexual minorities.
Norway was the first country in the world to enact a law against the discrimination of LGBT people by amending Paragraph 349a of the Norwegian Penal Code. In the same year Paragraph 135a was amended to prohibit hate speech directed at sexual minorities.
LGBT housing discrimination in Norway is sexual orientation and gender identity.
Current status
Sexual orientation and gender identity
Same-sex adoption in Norway is legal.
Current status
Since Jan 1, 2009
Since Jan 1, 2009
Legal
Blood donations by MSMs in Norway is banned (1-year deferral).
A new law will be going into effect soon.
Not yet in effect
Going into effect Jan 1, 2024
Going into effect Jan 1, 2024
Legal
From 2024, the same blood donation rules will be applied to everyone regardless of sexual orientation.
Until Mar 31, 2017
Banned (indefinite deferral)
Indefinitely banned.
Conversion therapy in Norway is not banned.
Current status
Not banned
Conversion therapy is not banned in Norway. In 2022, the government introduced a proposal to ban the practice, but the adoption of a new law according to this proposal has been delayed over concerns that a total ban would infringe on the rights of those who consent to conversion therapy. The Minister of Culture and Equality, who originally proposed the ban, hopes it will come into effect in autumn 2023, despite these concerns.
Although legal, conversion therapy has been considered malpractice by the Norwegian Psychiatric Association for over 20 years. Approximately 90% of all authorized psychologists in Norway belong to this organization (as claimed by the organization itself).
Although legal, conversion therapy has been considered malpractice by the Norwegian Psychiatric Association for over 20 years. Approximately 90% of all authorized psychologists in Norway belong to this organization (as claimed by the organization itself).
Equal age of consent in Norway is equal.
Current status
Since Mar 1, 1972
Since Mar 1, 1972
Equal
Age of consent equal at 16 years of age.
LGBT Rights by County
View the LGBT laws in each individual county of Norway.
- Vest-Agder
- Vestfold
- Østfold
- Jan Mayen (Region)
- Svalbard (Region)
- Bouvet Island (Island)