1910s in LGBT Rights

Number of LGBT-related laws changed over time
  • January 1
    Gender-affirming care becomes restricted.
    France banned gender reassignment surgeries on people who were not intersex until 1975. However, hormones were accessible without a prescription. Trans people would often go to Germany or Morocco to get reassignment surgeries.
  • December 1
    Homosexual activity becomes male illegal, female legal.
    In the first post-medieval Criminal Code of the Principality of Serbia, named "Kaznitelni zakon" (Law of Penalties), adopted in 1860, sexual intercourse "against the order of nature" between males became punishable by from 6 months' to 4 years' imprisonment. As typical for the time, homosexual relations between women were excluded. Serbian law was continued in Yugoslavia
  • November 11
    Homosexual activity becomes ambiguous.
    During the Second Polish Republic, same sex activity was not legislated against, but was considered taboo.
  • December
    Equal age of consent becomes equal.
    In 1917, homosexuality was decriminalised in Russia, which included Moldova. There was no discrepancy with the age of consent compared to heterosexuality.
  • Homosexual activity becomes legal.
    In 1917, after the October Revolution in Russia, homosexuality was decriminalised. This included Moldova at the time.
  • Homosexual activity becomes legal.
    Homosexuality in Russia was decriminalized in 1917.
  • July 16
    Homosexual activity becomes illegal (imprisonment as punishment).
    In 1917, Pennsylvania adopted a new sodomy law that included anyone who “carnally knows any male or female person by the anus or by or with the mouth, or voluntarily submits to such carnal knowledge[.]” The punishment was 10 years of solitary confinement while working hard labor, and a maximum of a $1,000 dollar fine. In 1939, the maximum fine was raised from $1,000 to $5,000. In 1972, the penalty was lowered to a maximum of 2 years imprisonment, and was reclassified from a felony to a misdemeanor. Married couples could not be charged with sodomy.
  • June 1
    Equal age of consent becomes n/a.
    Homosexuality is illegal, so there is no age of consent.
  • (date unknown)
    Homosexual activity becomes illegal (imprisonment as punishment).
    Male and female homosexuality is punishable by 14 years in prison by the Federal Criminal Code in all Southern States under Section 214. The Section reads "Any person who – (a) has carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature; or (c) permits a male person to have carnal knowledge of him or her against the order of nature; is guilty of a felony, and is liable to imprisonment for fourteen years."
  • Homosexual activity becomes illegal (imprisonment as punishment).
    Male and female homosexuality is punishable by 14 years in prison by the Federal Criminal Code in all Southern States under Section 214. The Section reads "Any person who – (a) has carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature; or (c) permits a male person to have carnal knowledge of him or her against the order of nature; is guilty of a felony, and is liable to imprisonment for fourteen years."
  • Homosexual activity becomes illegal (imprisonment as punishment).
    Male and female homosexuality is punishable by 14 years in prison by the Federal Criminal Code in all Southern States under Section 214. The Section reads "Any person who – (a) has carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature; or (c) permits a male person to have carnal knowledge of him or her against the order of nature; is guilty of a felony, and is liable to imprisonment for fourteen years."
  • Homosexual activity becomes illegal (imprisonment as punishment).
    Male and female homosexuality is punishable by 14 years in prison by the Federal Criminal Code in all Southern States under Section 214. The Section reads "Any person who – (a) has carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature; or (c) permits a male person to have carnal knowledge of him or her against the order of nature; is guilty of a felony, and is liable to imprisonment for fourteen years."
  • Homosexual activity becomes illegal (imprisonment as punishment).
    Male and female homosexuality is punishable by 14 years in prison by the Federal Criminal Code in all Southern States under Section 214. The Section reads "Any person who – (a) has carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature; or (c) permits a male person to have carnal knowledge of him or her against the order of nature; is guilty of a felony, and is liable to imprisonment for fourteen years."
  • Homosexual activity becomes illegal (imprisonment as punishment).
    Male and female homosexuality is punishable by 14 years in prison by the Federal Criminal Code in all Southern States under Section 214. The Section reads "Any person who – (a) has carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature; or (c) permits a male person to have carnal knowledge of him or her against the order of nature; is guilty of a felony, and is liable to imprisonment for fourteen years."
  • Homosexual activity becomes illegal (imprisonment as punishment).
    Male and female homosexuality is punishable by 14 years in prison by the Federal Criminal Code in all Southern States under Section 214. The Section reads "Any person who – (a) has carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature; or (c) permits a male person to have carnal knowledge of him or her against the order of nature; is guilty of a felony, and is liable to imprisonment for fourteen years."
  • Homosexual activity becomes illegal (imprisonment as punishment).
    Male and female homosexuality is punishable by 14 years in prison by the Federal Criminal Code in all Southern States under Section 214. The Section reads "Any person who – (a) has carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature; or (c) permits a male person to have carnal knowledge of him or her against the order of nature; is guilty of a felony, and is liable to imprisonment for fourteen years."
  • Homosexual activity becomes illegal (imprisonment as punishment).
    Male and female homosexuality is punishable by 14 years in prison by the Federal Criminal Code in all Southern States under Section 214. The Section reads "Any person who – (a) has carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature; or (c) permits a male person to have carnal knowledge of him or her against the order of nature; is guilty of a felony, and is liable to imprisonment for fourteen years."
  • Homosexual activity becomes illegal (imprisonment as punishment).
    Male and female homosexuality is punishable by 14 years in prison by the Federal Criminal Code in all Southern States under Section 214. The Section reads "Any person who – (a) has carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature; or (c) permits a male person to have carnal knowledge of him or her against the order of nature; is guilty of a felony, and is liable to imprisonment for fourteen years."
  • Homosexual activity becomes illegal (imprisonment as punishment).
    Male and female homosexuality is punishable by 14 years in prison by the Federal Criminal Code in all Southern States under Section 214. The Section reads "Any person who – (a) has carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature; or (c) permits a male person to have carnal knowledge of him or her against the order of nature; is guilty of a felony, and is liable to imprisonment for fourteen years."
  • Homosexual activity becomes illegal (imprisonment as punishment).
    Male and female homosexuality is punishable by 14 years in prison by the Federal Criminal Code in all Southern States under Section 214. The Section reads "Any person who – (a) has carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature; or (c) permits a male person to have carnal knowledge of him or her against the order of nature; is guilty of a felony, and is liable to imprisonment for fourteen years."
  • Homosexual activity becomes illegal (imprisonment as punishment).
    Male and female homosexuality is punishable by 14 years in prison by the Federal Criminal Code in all Southern States under Section 214. The Section reads "Any person who – (a) has carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature; or (c) permits a male person to have carnal knowledge of him or her against the order of nature; is guilty of a felony, and is liable to imprisonment for fourteen years."
  • Homosexual activity becomes illegal (imprisonment as punishment).
    Male and female homosexuality is punishable by 14 years in prison by the Federal Criminal Code in all Southern States under Section 214. The Section reads "Any person who – (a) has carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature; or (c) permits a male person to have carnal knowledge of him or her against the order of nature; is guilty of a felony, and is liable to imprisonment for fourteen years."
  • Homosexual activity becomes illegal (imprisonment as punishment).
    Male and female homosexuality is punishable by 14 years in prison by the Federal Criminal Code in all Southern States under Section 214. The Section reads "Any person who – (a) has carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature; or (c) permits a male person to have carnal knowledge of him or her against the order of nature; is guilty of a felony, and is liable to imprisonment for fourteen years."
  • Homosexual activity becomes illegal (imprisonment as punishment).
    Male and female homosexuality is punishable by 14 years in prison by the Federal Criminal Code in all Southern States under Section 214. The Section reads "Any person who – (a) has carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature; or (c) permits a male person to have carnal knowledge of him or her against the order of nature; is guilty of a felony, and is liable to imprisonment for fourteen years."
  • Homosexual activity becomes illegal (imprisonment as punishment).
    Male and female homosexuality is punishable by 14 years in prison by the Federal Criminal Code in all Southern States under Section 214. The Section reads "Any person who – (a) has carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature; or (c) permits a male person to have carnal knowledge of him or her against the order of nature; is guilty of a felony, and is liable to imprisonment for fourteen years."
  • Homosexual activity becomes illegal (imprisonment as punishment).
    Male and female homosexuality is punishable by 14 years in prison by the Federal Criminal Code in all Southern States under Section 214. The Section reads "Any person who – (a) has carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature; or (c) permits a male person to have carnal knowledge of him or her against the order of nature; is guilty of a felony, and is liable to imprisonment for fourteen years."
  • Homosexual activity becomes illegal (imprisonment as punishment).
    Male and female homosexuality is punishable by 14 years in prison by the Federal Criminal Code in all Southern States under Section 214. The Section reads "Any person who – (a) has carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature; or (c) permits a male person to have carnal knowledge of him or her against the order of nature; is guilty of a felony, and is liable to imprisonment for fourteen years."
  • Homosexual activity becomes illegal (imprisonment as punishment).
    Male and female homosexuality is punishable by 14 years in prison by the Federal Criminal Code in all Southern States under Section 214. The Section reads "Any person who – (a) has carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature; or (c) permits a male person to have carnal knowledge of him or her against the order of nature; is guilty of a felony, and is liable to imprisonment for fourteen years."
  • (date unknown)
    Blood donations by MSMs becomes banned (indefinite deferral).
    There are no specific laws or bans around MSMs donating blood in Qatar, however, homosexuality is illegal in the country.
  • Serving openly in military becomes illegal.
  • Same-sex adoption becomes illegal.
    There are no same-sex adoption laws in Qatar. Same-sex couples are not allowed to adopt children in Qatar, and LGBTQ+ individuals are not afforded the same rights and protections as heterosexual couples when it comes to adoption and parenting.
  • Same-sex marriage becomes banned.
    Same-sex marriage is not legally recognized in Qatar. Qatar is a conservative Muslim country and does not permit same-sex marriage or any other form of same-sex relationship. The country's laws and cultural norms heavily discriminate against LGBTQ+ individuals, and homosexuality is punishable by imprisonment or fines. As a result, gay marriage is not possible or recognized in Qatar and LGBTQ+ individuals are not afforded the same rights and protections as heterosexual couples.
  • August 31
    Homosexual activity becomes male illegal, female legal.
    Kosovo Vilayet was incorporated into the Kingdom of Serbia in 1913. The Penal Code of the Kingdom of Serbia passed on March 29, 1860 criminalized sex between men. Paragraph 206: Unnatural fornication between persons of the male sex to be punished by imprisonment from six months to four years and loss of civil honor.
  • Homosexual activity becomes male illegal, female legal.
    The Penal Code of the Kingdom of Serbia (North Macedonia was part of it at that time) passed on March 29, 1860 criminalized sex between men. Paragraph 206: Unnatural fornication between persons of the male sex to be punished by imprisonment from six months to four years and loss of civil honor.
  • January 1
    Homosexual activity becomes illegal (imprisonment as punishment).
    Penal Code of 1913: Article 230: “The masculine homosexuality and feminine homosexuality that is not covered by any of the other previous articles, is punished with imprisonment for three years” (unofficial translation)
  • (date unknown)
    Homosexual activity becomes legal.
    The 1911 Revolution ended China's final imperial dynasty, the Qing dynasty, and led to the establishment of the Republic of China. The explicit prohibition of ji jian (homosexual anal intercourse) was abolished by the succeeding states.
  • (date unknown)
    Censorship of LGBT issues becomes imprisonment as punishment.
    In 1911-1912, Italy annexed Libya. Under Mussolini's Fascist rule, LGBTQ+ topics were heavily censored, and in Italy, "[h]undreds of ordinary citizens were sent into confinement just because of their homosexuality."
  • Equal age of consent becomes ambiguous.
    From 1911 until 1951, the legality of homosexuality was considered to be ambiguous. As such, the legal age of consent for homosexual sex is also considered to be ambiguous.
  • Homosexual activity becomes ambiguous.
    In 1911-1912, Italy annexed Libya. Although Italy had legalized homosexuality in 1890, its control and governance over certain parts of Libya, especially regions in the Sahara Desert, were considered “long-term challenges.” As such, the legality of homosexuality during this time period can best be described as ambiguous.
  • Equal age of consent becomes unequal.
    Age of consent for homosexual relationships was 21 while for heterosexual relationships the age of consent was 16.
  • October 14
    Equal age of consent becomes unequal.
    In 1910, the age of consent for homosexuality was set at 18 compared to 16 for heterosexuality in Suriname.
  • February 21
    Equal age of consent becomes n/a.
    Until 1990, homosexuality was illegal in Paraguay.
  • Homosexual activity becomes illegal (imprisonment as punishment).
    In 1910, Paraguay enacted a new Penal Code, which continued to criminalise sodomy but also criminalised lesbianism by banning "carnal intercourse between persons of the same sex".