- 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
- Ambiguous
- Age of Consent
- ✔ Equal
Suggest Public Opinion Data
Until Apr 21, 1972
Until Jul 1, 2016
Public Opinion
Acceptance of homosexuals as neighbors ?
Ranked #3 out of 79 regions surveyed. (Source: World Values Survey, 2017-2020)
(3.5%) Mentioned homosexuals
Did not mention homosexuals (95.9%)
Justifiability of homosexuality ?
Ranked #5 out of 79 regions surveyed. (Source: World Values Survey, 2017-2020)
(9.5%) Not justifiable
Justifiable (78%)
Opinion on same-sex couples as parents ?
Ranked #4 out of 74 regions surveyed. (Source: World Values Survey, 2017-2020)
(16%) Disagree
Agree (70.2%)
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Norway fully repealed Section 213 of the Norwegian Penal Code, legalizing homosexual activity.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 employment discrimination in Norway is sexual orientation and gender identity.
Current status
Since 1981
Since 1981
Sexual orientation and gender identity
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
Serving openly in military in Norway is legal.
Current status
Legal
Conversion therapy in Norway is ambiguous.
Current status
Ambiguous
Not necessarily "banned," but certainly considered unethical by the the Norwegian Psychiatric Association and is frowned upon in the industry.
"In 2000, the General Assembly of the Norwegian Psychiatric Association overwhelmingly voted for the following position statement on sexual orientation change therapy:
'Homosexuality is no disorder or illness, and can therefore not be subject to treatment. A ‘treatment’ with the only aim of changing sexual orientation from homosexual to heterosexual must be regarded as ethical malpractice, and has no place in the health system.'"
Norway intends to officially ban conversion therapy in 2022.
"In 2000, the General Assembly of the Norwegian Psychiatric Association overwhelmingly voted for the following position statement on sexual orientation change therapy:
'Homosexuality is no disorder or illness, and can therefore not be subject to treatment. A ‘treatment’ with the only aim of changing sexual orientation from homosexual to heterosexual must be regarded as ethical malpractice, and has no place in the health system.'"
Norway intends to officially ban conversion therapy in 2022.
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 Region
View the LGBT laws in each individual region of Norway.
- Jan Mayen
- Svalbard
- Bouvet Island (Island)