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 ▸  North America  ▸ 

State

    Homosexuality
    ⚢
    ✔ Legal
    Gay Marriage
    ⚭
    ✔ Legal
    Censorship
    ✔ No censorship
    Changing Gender
    ✔ Legal, but requires surgery
    Non-binary gender recognition
    ✔ Recognized
    Discrimination
    ✖ No protections
    Employment Discrimination
    ✖ No protections
    Housing Discrimination
    ✖ No protections
    Adoption
    ✔ Legal
    Military
    ✔ Legal
    Donating Blood
    ✖ Banned (3-month deferral)
    Conversion Therapy
    ✖ Not banned
    Age of Consent
    ✔ Equal
Suggest Public Opinion Data

Public Opinion

Support for LGBT protections by US state

Ranked #1 out of 50 regions surveyed. (Source: PRRI, 2018)

Question: "Do you strongly favor, favor, oppose or strongly oppose laws that would protect gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people against discrimination in jobs, public accommodations, and housing?"

 
Favor (56%)

Opposition of religiously based refusals to serve gay and lesbian people

Ranked #1 out of 50 regions surveyed. (Source: PRRI, 2018)

Question: "Do you strongly favor, favor, oppose or strongly oppose allowing a small business owner in your state to refuse to provide products or services to gay or lesbian people, if doing so violates their religious beliefs"

 
Oppose (50%)

Support of same-sex marriage by US state

Ranked #48 out of 51 regions surveyed. (Source: Pew Research, 2014)

Question: "Do you strongly favor, favor, oppose or strongly oppose allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally?"

(53%) Oppose
Favor (35%)

Support of homosexuality by US state

Ranked #47 out of 51 regions surveyed. (Source: Pew Research, 2014)

Question: "Which statement comes closer to your own views: homosexuality should be accepted by society OR homosexuality should be discouraged by society?"

(47%) Oppose
Support (45%)

History

Homosexual activity in Arkansas

?

Homosexual activity in Arkansas is legal.

Current status
Since Oct 29, 2001
Legal
Supreme Court overturned 1977 law banning homosexual activity
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Sources:
apa.org/about/offices/ogc/a…
Added by sofoust  ·  2 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Same-sex marriage in Arkansas

?

Same-sex marriage in Arkansas is legal.

Current status
Since Jun 26, 2015
Legal
The US Supreme Court rules that same-sex marriage is legal nationwide.
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Sources:
bbc.com/news/world-us-canad…
cnn.com/2015/06/26/politics…
Added by danlev  ·  1 accurate vote  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Nov 2, 2004–Jun 26, 2015
Unrecognized, same-sex marriage and civil unions banned
Also note that it does not matter where a same-sex couple was married, Arkansas states that all such marriages are void in the eyes of the state.
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Sources:
arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly…
Added by sofoust  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Censorship of LGBT Issues in Arkansas

?

Censorship of LGBT Issues in Arkansas is no censorship.

Current status
No censorship
LGBTQ discussion allowed in all schools, in some contexts, parents get permission slips to decide whether their student will be part of a lesson.
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Sources:
lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/c…
Added by tsusamu  ·  1 accurate vote  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Right to change legal gender in Arkansas

?

Right to change legal gender in Arkansas is legal, but requires surgery.

Current status
Since 2002
Legal, but requires surgery
Arkansas will amend after receipt of a court order verifying that they have undergone sex-reassignment surgery and that their names have been changed.
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Sources:
hrc.org/laws-and-legislatio…
Added by sofoust  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Jan 1, 2002–Sep 5, 2018
Legal, but requires surgery
Requires surgery to change birth certificates. Missing non binary options on documents.
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Sources:
lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/i…


transequality.org/documents…
Added by Ausyk  ·  3 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Legal recognition of non-binary gender in Arkansas

?

Legal recognition of non-binary gender in Arkansas is recognized.

Current status
Since Dec 2010
Recognized
Arkansas rolled out its gender policy quietly in 2010. "Our official policy is to allow a licensee to change their gender as requested, no questions asked, no documentation required." -former Assistant Commissioner of Operations and Administration Mike Munns.

Arkansas residents were thus able to change their marker on their driver's license (including to an X) since 2010, but this has only started being known since 2018.
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Sources:
intomore.com/impact/arkansa…
Added by Notdog1996  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

LGBT discrimination in Arkansas

?

LGBT discrimination in Arkansas is no protections.

Current status
Since Jan 1, 2013
No protections
At this time there is no discrimination protection at the State level
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Added by sofoust  ·  1 accurate vote  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Jul 31, 2016–Sep 7, 2018
Illegal in some contexts
Only in one city. pending statewide.
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Sources:
lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/n…
Added by Ausyk  ·  2 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

LGBT employment discrimination in Arkansas

?

LGBT employment discrimination in Arkansas is no protections.

Current status
No protections
As of December 16, 2014, there are no legal protections for people who are LGBT in regards to employment.
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Sources:
hrc-assets.s3-website-us-ea…
Added by imullin01  ·  1 accurate vote  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Dec 16, 2014–Sep 7, 2018
Ambiguous
Only in one city. pending statewide.
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Sources:
lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/f…
Added by Ausyk  ·  2 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

LGBT housing discrimination in Arkansas

?

LGBT housing discrimination in Arkansas is no protections.

Current status
No protections
This state does not provide any legal protections from discrimination based upon sexual orientation or gender identification.

However, the Human Rights Campaign states, "The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires grantees and participants of HUD programs to comply with local and state non-discrimination laws that include sexual orientation and gender identity.
HUD also prohibits inquiries regarding the sexual orientation or gender identity of a prospective tenant or applicant for assisted
housing in every state (March 2012)."
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Sources:
hrc-assets.s3-website-us-ea…
Added by imullin01  ·  1 accurate vote  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Mar 1, 2012–Sep 1, 2018
Ambiguous
Only in one city.
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Added by Ausyk  ·  2 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Same-sex adoption in Arkansas

?

Same-sex adoption in Arkansas is legal.

Current status
Since Apr 7, 2011
Legal
Originally banned in a measure on a ballot, but Arkansas Supreme Court Overruled. Any unmarried individual may petition for adoption, and any married individuals must petition jointly before the court. While the Supreme Court of Arkansas has struck down bans to limit same-sex adoption on privacy grounds, all adoption cases are handled on a case by case basis before a lower court judge. Lower courts have a history of hostile rulings for same-sex adoptive parents as displayed in Larson v. Larson, 902 S.W.2d 254 (App. 1995).
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Sources:
google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q…
www.lambdalegal.org/states-region/arkansas
Larson v. Larson, 902 S.W.2d 254 (App. 1995)
Added by sofoust  ·  2 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Serving openly in military in Arkansas

?

Serving openly in military in Arkansas is legal.

Current status
Since Sep 20, 2011
Legal
Don't Ask, Don't Tell is officially repealed throughout the United States, and gays and lesbians may openly serve.
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Sources:
army.mil/dadt/
Added by imullin01  ·  1 accurate vote  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Blood donations by MSMs in Arkansas

?

Blood donations by MSMs in Arkansas is banned (3-month deferral).

Current status
Since Apr 2, 2020
Banned (3-month deferral)
Blood donation centers follow the new FDA 3-month deferral guidance.
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Sources:
fda.gov/regulatory-informat…
Added by JerofDoorhandle  ·  1 accurate vote  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Dec 21, 2015–Apr 2, 2020
Banned (1-year deferral)
Blood donation centers followed the non-binding FDA one year deferral guidance.
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Sources:
fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biol…
Added by JerofDoorhandle  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Jan 1, 1983–Jun 7, 2018
Banned (1-year deferral)
Federally.
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Added by Ausyk  ·  1 accurate vote  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

1983–Dec 21, 2015
Banned (indefinite deferral)
Though the deferral impacts all MSMs who have had sex with a man since 1977, the policy did not go into effect until 1983. The policy applied retroactively to 1977.
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Sources:
fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVacci…
Added by sofoust  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Conversion therapy in Arkansas

?

Conversion therapy in Arkansas is not banned.

Current status
Not banned
Conversion Therapy is currently legal. No law currently bans it, despite organizations such as the American Psychological Association denouncing it.
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Sources:
nclrights.org/bornperfect-l…

nclrights.org/bornperfect-t…

hrc.org/resources/entry/the…
Added by imullin01  ·  1 accurate vote  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Sep 28, 2016–Aug 6, 2018
Not banned
Not criminalized anywhere in the south.
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Sources:
equalityfederation.org/2016…


lgbtmap.org/equality_maps/p…
Added by Ausyk  ·  3 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Equal age of consent in Arkansas

?

Equal age of consent in Arkansas is equal.

Current status
Since 2001
Equal
Equal age of consent is 16.
Details  ·  Accurate? Yes No
Sources:
web.lexisnexis.com/research…
Added by sofoust  ·  2 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log
Equality Index ?
61 / 100
Legal Rights
76 / 100
Public Opinion
47 / 100
#160
Interest Rank ?

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Arkansas LGBT Organizations

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