- Homosexuality
- ⚢✔ Legal
- Gay Marriage
- ⚭✔ Legal
- Censorship
- ✔ No censorship
- Changing Gender
- ✔ Legal, surgery not required
- Non-binary gender recognition
- ✖ Not legally recognized
- Discrimination
- ✖ Illegal in some contexts
- 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
- ✔ Banned
- Age of Consent
- ✔ Equal
Suggest Public Opinion Data
Public Opinion
Acceptance of homosexuals as neighbors ?
Ranked #8 out of 79 regions surveyed. (Source: World Values Survey, 2017-2020)
(6.1%) Mentioned homosexuals
Did not mention homosexuals (92.9%)
Justifiability of homosexuality ?
Ranked #9 out of 79 regions surveyed. (Source: World Values Survey, 2017-2020)
(12.8%) Not justifiable
Justifiable (65.7%)
Opinion on same-sex couples as parents ?
Ranked #23 out of 74 regions surveyed. (Source: World Values Survey, 2017-2020)
(25%) Disagree
Agree (48.6%)
History
Same-sex marriage in Switzerland is legal.
Current status
Since Jul 1, 2022
Since Jul 1, 2022
Legal
Switzerland approved same-sex marriage with a national referendum.
Civil unions
Swiss Registered Partnership is a Civil Union that grants equal rights to Marriage but differs on three points: access to Fertility treatment, Adoption and facilitated Swiss naturalisation, this last one being discussed actually in Swiss parliament. ILGA states that Registered Partnership in Switzerland is «Equal/almost equal substitute nationally recognized» to Marriage.
Censorship of LGBT Issues in Switzerland is no censorship.
Current status
No censorship
In Switzerland, there are no laws restricting the discussion or promotion of LGBTQ+ topics.
Right to change legal gender in Switzerland is legal, surgery not required.
Current status
Legal, surgery not required
Change of sex is legal though there are now specific laws concerning the matter. In 1993, the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland stated that a change of sex should be "irreversible"; many judges interpreted it as the person had to go under surgery. In 2012, the Federal Department of Justice and Police via its Federal Office for Civil Registration released a statement about how transsexualism should be handled by cantonal Register offices. The FOCR stated that the Judges and Authorities should cease to oblige a person to go through forced sterilisation in order to have their sex change recognised. Furthermore, a person is granted to choose his or her gender according to his or her social gender and not anymore according to his or her biological gender.
Legal recognition of non-binary gender in Switzerland is not legally recognized.
Current status
Not legally recognized
Switzerland does not currently legally recognize non-binary identities.
LGBT discrimination in Switzerland is illegal in some contexts.
Current status
Since Jul 1, 2020
Since Jul 1, 2020
Illegal in some contexts
Discrimination is only illegal for sexual orientation and not gender identity.
LGBT employment discrimination in Switzerland is sexual orientation and gender identity.
Current status
Since Apr 18, 1999
Since Apr 18, 1999
Sexual orientation and gender identity
Article 8 of the Constitution
LGBT housing discrimination in Switzerland is sexual orientation and gender identity.
Current status
Since Apr 18, 1999
Since Apr 18, 1999
Sexual orientation and gender identity
Same-sex adoption in Switzerland is legal.
Current status
Since Sep 26, 2021
Since Sep 26, 2021
Legal
The new law of same sex marriage for Switzerland also guarantees adoption rights for same sex couples.
Blood donations by MSMs in Switzerland is banned (1-year deferral).
Current status
Since Nov 29, 2017
Since Nov 29, 2017
Banned (1-year deferral)
In early May 2017, the National Council approved a motion calling on all restrictions on gay and bisexual men donating blood to be lifted. According to the National Council, only risky behaviour should be a factor for blood donation, not one's sexual orientation. The motion, introduced by the Conservative Democrats, was approved 97–89.[66] However, this was rejected by the Council of States on 29 November 2017.[67] The 1 year deferral period for gay and bisexual men donating blood therefore remains in place.
Conversion therapy in Switzerland is banned.
Current status
Since Mar 13, 2016
Since Mar 13, 2016
Banned
In 2016, Conservative Democrat MP Rosmarie Quadranti requested the Swiss Federal Government to undertake measures to outlaw conversion therapy on LGBT minors.[68][69] The Swiss Federal Council wrote in response that in its view, conversion therapies are "ineffective and cause significant suffering to young people subjected to them", and would constitute a breach of professional duties on the part of any care professional undertaking them. As such, in its view, any care professional undertaking such therapies is already liable to be sanctioned by the cantonal authorities. Whether such therapies also constitute a criminal offense is to be determined by the criminal courts in individual cases, according to the Federal Council.
Equal age of consent in Switzerland is equal.
Current status
Since 1992
Since 1992
Equal
Consensual age is Switzerland is 16 years old, unless the difference in age between the persons involved is not more than 3 years.
LGBT Rights by Canton
View the LGBT laws in each individual canton of Switzerland.
- Aargau
- Appenzell Ausserrhoden
- Appenzell Innerrhoden
- Basel-Landschaft
- Basel-Stadt
- Bern
- Fribourg
- Genève
- Glarus
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Common queries:
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Alternative names: Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera/Svizra (local name)