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1976 in LGBT Rights

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In 1976, there were 13 recorded legal changes made affecting LGBT people. In the previous year, there were 11 changes made and 22 in the following year. A total of 159 legal changes were made in the 1970s.

  • October 7
    Homosexual activity becomes illegal (death penalty as punishment).
    Article 427 states homosexuality will suffer long imprisonments (along with Adultery.) In addition, article 398 states that honour killing is encouraged.
  • July 19
    Same-sex marriage becomes unrecognized.
    Homosexuality is currently illegal.
  • Homosexual activity becomes male illegal, female legal.
    1 year in prison under crime of sodamy. Not enforced. decriminalization proposed since 2012.
  • Same-sex marriage becomes not legal.
    Same sex marriage is not legal.
  • Homosexual activity becomes illegal (imprisonment as punishment).
    Imprisonment of up to one year is the penalty of sodomy. Decriminalization pending.
  • July 1
    Homosexual activity becomes legal.
    WASHINGTON LAWS, 1975 1st ex.s. c 260 ยง 9A.92.010 Item 209 repealed Washington's Sodomy Laws: (a) Section 2. chapter 139, Laws of 1893 (b) Section 204, chapter 249, Laws of 1909 (c) Section 3, chapter 74, Laws of 1937 (d) RCW 9.79.100 Sodomy - Penalties. Item 226 repealed Washington's Vagrancy Laws: (a) Section 1, page 85, Laws of 1875, (b) Section 1271, Code of 1881 (c) Section 436, chapter 249, Laws of 1909 (d) Section 1, chapter 11, Laws of 1965 (e) Section 29, chapter 122 Laws of 1972 ex. sess. (f) RCW 9.87.010 Vagrancy. The U.S. Supreme Court further secured these protections when it ruled in LAWRENCE ET Al. v. TEXAS on June 26, 2003, that any law "making it a crime for two persons of the same sex to engage in certain intimate sexual conduct violates the Due Process Clause" of the Fourteenth Amendment.
  • June 11
    Blood donations by MSMs becomes legal.
    * \"From\" date taken from earliest recorded specific legislation on the matter. MSM is not contemplated as a criterion for exclusion. Information regarding blood donation by MSM during the Franco dictatorship is unknown, but was probably outlawed along with the practice of homosexuality. No specific legal texts from that historical time period address the issue.
  • May 1
    Homosexual activity becomes legal.
    Legislative repeal, effective 1976.
  • March 20
    LGBT housing discrimination becomes no protections.
  • LGBT discrimination becomes no protections.
    None are in the criminal code.
  • LGBT employment discrimination becomes no protections.
  • Homosexual activity becomes ambiguous.
    Not technically illegal. but certain sections of the criminal code have been used to prosecute LGBT people.
  • Homosexual activity becomes legal.
    Bahrain may consider homosexuality as "immoral", although homosexual activity is not explicitly illegal. However there has been documented cases of arrests being made towards homosexual people on virtue of them being homosexuals