1953 in LGBT Rights

In 1953, there were 7 recorded legal changes made affecting LGBT people. In the previous year, there were 1 change made and 6 in the following year. A total of 40 legal changes were made in the 1950s.

  • November 28
    Censorship of LGBT issues becomes imprisonment as punishment.
    Libya's Penal Code in 1953 contains Article 421 which punishes "indecent acts and articles" with imprisonment. This is often used to persecute LGBTIQ+ people in Libya.
  • November 18
    Serving openly in military becomes illegal.
    As homosexuality is illegal in Libya, so is serving openly in the army.
  • Same-sex marriage becomes banned.
    Homosexuality is not legal in Libya.
  • Homosexual activity becomes illegal (imprisonment as punishment).
    Article 410 of the penal code states that Indecent same sex intercourse is punishable from 1 to 4 years.
  • August 11
    Censorship of LGBT issues becomes imprisonment as punishment.
    In 1953, Santiago del Estero added Articles 77 and 78 to its Code of Misdemeanours. Article 77 criminalises anyone who "offends public decency with clumsy acts or words" with 10 days in prison. Article 78 says that people who are "publicly exhibited with clothes of another sex" except during carnivals or other parties where doing so is permitted are included as offenders of the previous article, criminalising the expression of transgender people. Even during carnivals and parties allowing it, the choice of clothing must not be "indecorous". The laws were repealed in 2008.
  • January 16
    Censorship of LGBT issues becomes imprisonment as punishment.
    In 1953, Catamarca passed Law 1573, the Code of Misdemeanours, which included Article 101 which punished "dressing or impersonating a person of the opposing sex" with 20 days imprisonment or a fine. This was repealed in 2005.
  • Censorship of LGBT issues becomes varies by region.
    Since 1953, various provinces have passed discriminatory laws targeting LGBTIQ+ people and their expressions, starting with Catamarca. Laws would begin to be repealed in the 1990s and continued into the 21st century with Formosa being the last province to repeal such laws in 2012. During the military dictatorship from 1976 to 1983, LGBTIQ+ people faced extreme persecution with the junta harassing people for their sexual orientation or gender identity.