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1980 in LGBT Rights

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In 1980, there were 16 recorded legal changes made affecting LGBT people. In the previous year, there were 19 changes made and 12 in the following year. A total of 169 legal changes were made in the 1980s.

  • December 18
    Homosexual activity becomes legal.
    A court in the case of New York v Onofre found New York's sodomy ban to be unconstitutional. Two decades later, the state legislature formally repealed the ban.
  • Equal age of consent becomes equal.
    The age of consent in New York is 17 for heterosexual and homosexual sex.
  • September 10
    Right to change legal gender becomes legal, but requires surgery.
    Section 8 § 1 of the German Transsexuellengesetz (Transsexuals Act of September 10, 1980) states that transgender people can change their first names and gender entry under the condition of gender-affirming surgery, sterilization, and divorce.
  • August 13
    Same-sex marriage becomes banned.
    Same sex marriage is not legal.
  • Homosexual activity becomes illegal (imprisonment as punishment).
    Homosexuality in Togo is punishable by 1-3 years in prison and a 100,000-500,000 CFA fine.
  • July 1
    Right to change legal gender becomes legal, but requires surgery.
    South Dakota requires surgery for legal gender recognition.
  • May 30
    Equal age of consent becomes equal.
    The Age of consent in Pennsylvania is 16, and the laws applies equally regardless of gender or orientation.
  • Homosexual activity becomes legal.
    Homosexual sex has been legal in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania since 1980. In the case of Commonwealth v. Bonadio, the judges declared that the statute that criminalized homosexuality was unconstitutional due to invasion of privacy. The decision was made on May 30th, 1980.
  • April 17
    Censorship of LGBT issues becomes imprisonment as punishment.
    In 1980, Cordoba's Code of Misdemeanours added Article 23 which criminalised homosexuals frequenting minors under 18 with 90 days imprisonment, grouping them with "sexually vicious persons". Additionally, Article 19 prohibited people from "exhibiting themselves in public with clothing contrary to public decency", which was viewed as criminalising transgender people and their expression. Both articles would be repealed in 1994.
  • (date unknown)
    Gender-affirming care becomes legal.
    There are no known laws restricting gender affirming care.
  • Homosexual activity becomes legal.
    Homosexual Activity is Legal in Trentino Alto Adige
  • Homosexual activity becomes legal.
    Homosexual acts were legalized prior to the federal ruling which legalized homosexuality for all federal jurisdictions in 2003.
  • January 1
    Homosexual activity becomes legal.
  • Homosexual activity becomes legal.
    Legislative repeal, effective 1980.
  • (date unknown)
    Blood donations by MSMs becomes banned (indefinite deferral).
    Homosexual men in Turkey cannot donate blood. The Turkish Red Crescent considers homosexuality to be a risk factor for HIV/AIDS.
  • Blood donations by MSMs becomes banned (indefinite deferral).
    Before 2017, blood donations by MSMs were illegal. They remained illegal until the health minister removed such bans.

LGBT Organizations Founded in 1980