In 1996, there were 37 recorded legal changes made affecting LGBT people. In the previous year, there were 26 changes made and 25 in the following year. A total of 356 legal changes were made in the 1990s.
- November 26Same-sex marriage becomes banned.Article 32 of the Constitution of Belarus defines marriage to be exclusively between a man and woman.
- November 6LGBT housing discrimination becomes no protections.
- LGBT discrimination becomes no protections.Homosexuality is illegal and as such not covered as a ground to have protection against discrimination.
- November 1Equal age of consent becomes equal.Age of consent in North Macedonia is set to 14 years and is equal for everyone.
- Same-sex marriage becomes unrecognized.There is no definition of marriage in the 1991 Constitution. Article 40: "Legal relations in marriage, family and cohabitation are regulated by law." Family Law from 1992, article 6: "Marriage is a legally regulated union of life between a husband and wife in which the interests of the spouses, the family and society are realized."
- Homosexual activity becomes legal.The Criminal Code of the Republic of Macedonia adopted on July 23, 1996 decriminalized consensual homosexual intercourse between men.
- October 16Same-sex marriage becomes banned.State Statute defining marriage as between one man and one woman
- August 29
- August 24Same-sex marriage becomes banned.Mississippi governor ordered an executive order to ban same sex marriage
- July 1Same-sex marriage becomes civil unions (marriage rights).On July 1, 1996, Greenland embraced Denmark's registered partnership law, granting legal recognition to same-sex couples. This move was a pivotal moment in advancing LGBTQ+ rights in Greenland, signaling a step towards greater equality and inclusion within the community.
- June 28
- June 1LGBT employment discrimination becomes sexual orientation only.Federal human rights law applies directly to only federal government employment and employers which fall under federal jurisdiction. Gender identity is only implicitly protected under interpretation of the law by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. Attempts have been made to have gender identity and gender expression added as protected classes to both the Canadian Human Rights Act and Criminal Code, though none of these attempts so far has been successful. Provincial human rights acts are separate, but Supreme Court precedent exists for requiring provinces to protect the same classes as the Canadian Human Rights Act. At this time all provinces protect against employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Of the provinces only Ontario has explicit protection on the basis of both gender identity and gender expression in its human rights code, though several provide implicit protections on the basis of gender identity or "transsexualism" under the category of "sex" or "gender".
- May 15Same-sex marriage becomes unrecognized.Tennessee Act of 1996 define marriage as a union between one man and one woman.
- May 8Same-sex marriage becomes unrecognized.Country just got rid of the constitutional ban on gay marriage.
- Same-sex marriage becomes banned.Several provisions within the constitution, the family law and the civil code points to the definition of a marriage as being a union between a man and a woman.
- LGBT discrimination becomes illegal.
- Serving openly in military becomes legal.South Africa is currently the only African country to allow transgender service in their military.
- January 26Homosexual activity becomes legal.Campbell v. Sundquist struck down the state's Homosexual Practices Act, ruling the state's same-sex-only sodomy law violated their right to privacy under Tennessee's Constitution, which is a right that was recognized in the 1992 case of Davis v. Davis.
- January 24Right to change legal gender becomes legal, but requires surgery.Gender reassignment surgeries are legal in Singapore, and in 1973 the government allowed patients to change their identity cards. This change implicitly recognized marriages that included an individual that had undergone surgery. In 1996, Member of Parliament (MP) Abdullah Tarmugi made an announcement that individuals who have undergone surgery could marry someone of the opposite sex.
- (date unknown)
- Homosexual activity becomes illegal (death penalty as punishment).Homosexuality became legal in every Russian federal subject in 1993, except for Chechnya. While Chechnya does not have an official law dictating what to do against LGBTQ+ people, openly LGBTQ+ people will either get arrested, or possibly killed. Chechen police will participate in "honor killings" towards anyone who demonstrates homosexual activity or activism for queer rights.
- January 1
- (date unknown)Same-sex marriage becomes unregistered cohabitation.Unregistered cohabitation confers limited rights to unmarried couples.
- January 1LGBT employment discrimination becomes sexual orientation and gender identity.Employment Discrimination illegal.
- LGBT housing discrimination becomes sexual orientation and gender identity.Under Icelandic Criminal Code.
- Equal age of consent becomes equal.
- LGBT employment discrimination becomes sexual orientation and gender identity.Under Icelandic Criminal Code.
- (date unknown)
- LGBT housing discrimination becomes sexual orientation and gender identity.Section 9(3) of the South African Constitution prohibits unfair discrimination on the grounds of sex, gender and sexual orientation. In addition, the Constitutional Court has stated that the section must also be interpreted as prohibiting discrimination against transgender people.
- LGBT employment discrimination becomes sexual orientation and gender identity.Section 9(3) of the South African Constitution prohibits unfair discrimination on the grounds of sex, gender and sexual orientation. In addition, the Constitutional Court has stated that the section must also be interpreted as prohibiting discrimination against transgender people.
- January 1LGBT discrimination becomes illegal.There is protection against discrimination at court in the criminal code.
- (date unknown)Blood donations by MSMs becomes banned (1-year deferral).The Red Cross controls blood donations in Australia and it has a ban on MSMs active in the last year
LGBT Organizations Founded in 1996
- Equality PennsylvaniaEquality Pennsylvania is the commonwealth
- ILGA-Europe
GlobalILGA-Europe is the European Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans & Intersex Association ILGA-Europe works for equality and human rights for lesbian, gay… - ILGA-Europe