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1970 in LGBT Rights

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In 1970, there were 4 recorded legal changes made affecting LGBT people. In the previous year, there were 8 changes made and 32 in the following year. A total of 203 legal changes were made in the 1970s.

  • January 27
    Homosexual activity becomes male illegal, female legal.
    The 1969 Crimes Act took effect in the Cook Islands in 1970 and criminalised sodomy with up to 7 years in prison.
  • (date unknown)
    Gender-affirming care becomes legal.
    Before July 2020, minors and adults alike were allowed to access gender affirming care, including hormones and puberty blockers and surgery for adults.
  • January 1
    Homosexual activity becomes legal.
    Consensual same-sex acts were legalized in 1945 after the end of WW2 by the Polish Penal Code. In 1970, homosexuality was completely decriminalized by removing the provision on homosexual prostitution from the penal code. From 2019 until 2025, several municipalities declared themselves to be "LGBT-free zones", but this had no legal impact.
  • (date unknown)
    Serving openly in military becomes illegal.
    During the apartheid regime, the military often sent homosexual soldiers to psychiatric hospitals for shock therapy and in some cases, sexual reassignment surgeries. Between 1967 and 1991, all white males over the age of 16 were conscripted in South Africa.

LGBT Organizations Founded in 1970