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LGBT Rights in Arkansas State

    Homosexuality
    ✔ Legal
    Gay Marriage
    ✔ Legal
    Censorship
    ✖ State-enforced
    Changing Gender
    ✖ Legal, but requires surgery
    Non-binary gender recognition
    ✖ Not legally recognized
    Discrimination
    ✖ No protections
    Employment Discrimination
    ✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity
    Housing Discrimination
    ✖ No protections
    Adoption
    ✔ Legal
    Military
    ✔ Legal
    Donating Blood
    ✔ Legal
    Conversion Therapy
    ✖ Not banned
    Age of Consent
    ✔ Equal

Recent studies in Arkansas show a discernible level of opposition to LGBTQ+ rights among the population.

History

Homosexual activity in Arkansas

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Homosexual activity in Arkansas is legal.

Current status
Since Oct 29, 2001
Legal
Supreme Court overturned 1977 law banning homosexual activity
Added by sofoust  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Same-sex marriage in Arkansas

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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.
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.
Added by sofoust  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Censorship of LGBT Issues in Arkansas

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Censorship of LGBT Issues in Arkansas is state-enforced.

Current status
Since Mar 14, 2023
State-enforced
Mentioning gender identity or sexual orientation to students before grade 5 is banned.
Added by Notdog1996  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Until Mar 14, 2023
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.
Added by tsusamu  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Right to change legal gender in Arkansas

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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.
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.
Added by Ausyk  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Legal recognition of non-binary gender in Arkansas

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

Current status
Since Mar 12, 2024
Not legally recognized
Arkansas reversed its previous law that allowed you to put your gender as x.
Added by Unknownmiles  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Jan 2010–Mar 12, 2024
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.
Added by Notdog1996  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

LGBT discrimination in Arkansas

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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
Added by sofoust  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Jul 31, 2016–Sep 7, 2018
Illegal in some contexts
Only in one city. pending statewide.
Added by Ausyk  ·  1 accurate vote  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

LGBT employment discrimination in Arkansas

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LGBT employment discrimination in Arkansas is sexual orientation and gender identity.

Current status
Since Jun 15, 2020
Sexual orientation and gender identity
Protected federally under a Supreme Court ruling.
Added by Notdog1996  ·  1 accurate vote  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Until Jun 15, 2020
No protections
As of December 16, 2014, there are no legal protections for people who are LGBT in regards to employment.
Added by imullin01  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Dec 16, 2014–Sep 7, 2018
Ambiguous
Only in one city. pending statewide.
Added by Ausyk  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

LGBT housing discrimination in Arkansas

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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)."
Added by imullin01  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Mar 1, 2012–Sep 1, 2018
Ambiguous
Only in one city.
Added by Ausyk  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Same-sex adoption in Arkansas

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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).
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  ·  1 accurate vote  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Serving openly in military in Arkansas

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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.
Added by imullin01  ·  1 accurate vote  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Blood donations by MSMs in Arkansas

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Blood donations by MSMs in Arkansas is legal.

Current status
Since May 11, 2023
Legal
The new FDA policy on blood donation eliminates deferrals and screening questions specific to men who have sex with men (MSM). Prospective donors will be asked the same set of questions regardless of their sex or sexual orientation.
Added by 4anahiv  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Apr 2, 2020–May 11, 2023
Banned (3-month deferral)
Blood donation centers follow the non-binding FDA 3-month deferral guidance.
Added by JerofDoorhandle  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  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.
Added by JerofDoorhandle  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Jan 1, 1983–Jun 7, 2018
Banned (1-year deferral)
Federally.
Added by Ausyk  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  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.
Added by sofoust  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Conversion therapy in Arkansas

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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.
Added by imullin01  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Sep 28, 2016–Aug 6, 2018
Not banned
Not criminalized anywhere in the south.
Added by Ausyk  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log

Equal age of consent in Arkansas

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Equal age of consent in Arkansas is equal.

Current status
Since 2001
Equal
Equal age of consent is 16.
Added by sofoust  ·  0 accurate votes  ·  Report Error  ·  Log