2018 in LGBT Rights

In 2018, there were 86 recorded legal changes made affecting LGBT people. In the previous year, there were 209 changes made and 103 in the following year. A total of 1440 legal changes were made in the 2010s.

  • December 14
    Legal recognition of non-binary gender becomes intersex only.
    nique at the international level": the Austrian LGBTQ+ umbrella HOSI yesterday welcomed the decree of the federal government that establishes six options for its citizens in the official definition of their sex. In addition to the masculine, feminine and «various» (the «X» instituted last year in passports), the categories «inter» and «offen» (open) are available, as well as the possibility of choosing none. The latter option may be required when children with sexual variation are born. They – or their legal representative – may decide later. However, says Queer.de, the transition from conventional categories to other options will only be possible with the favourable opinion of an expert. This condition is challenged by LGBTI activists, who regret the «pathologization» of intersex people. 'The stage of self-determination is still far away,' said Luan Pertl of Plattform Intersex Österreich. The organizations also call for a ban on surgical interventions on intersex children and adolescents, which was part of the programme of the ruling coalition in Vienna.
  • December 2
    LGBT discrimination becomes no protections.
    The UAE constitution, which came into effect on December 2, 1971, does not reference any protections against discrimination on the basis of gender or sexuality.
  • November 29
    Legal recognition of non-binary gender becomes recognized.
    People can register their gender on their birth certificate as non-binary, intersex, indeterminate or other.
  • Right to change legal gender becomes legal, no restrictions.
    Transgender individuals can change their gender marker on documents without surgery.
  • November 16
    Same-sex marriage becomes civil unions.
    San Marino passed a law recognizing same sex civil unions.
  • Same-sex adoption becomes step-child adoption only.
    Stepchild adoption for same sex couples.
  • November 1
    Legal recognition of non-binary gender becomes recognized.
    British Columbia residents can ask for an X gender marker on their driver’s license, identity card, birth certificate and BC Services Card.
  • November
    LGBT discrimination becomes illegal in some contexts.
    Section 107 of Chapter 1 of the Code of the Federated States of Micronesia reads: No law shall be enacted which discriminates against any person on account of race, sex, sexual orientation, language, or religion, nor shall the equal protection of the laws be denied.
  • October 19
    Same-sex marriage becomes unrecognized.
    On 19 October 2018, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) adopted a request for the legalisation of civil unions. The Government will now form a working group to analyse the proposal, which will need to be later adopted by the Parliament.
  • October 18
    Right to change legal gender becomes legal, no restrictions.
    Changing your gender legally no longer requires surgery in Uruguay.
  • October 1
    Legal recognition of non-binary gender becomes recognized.
    Residents of Minnesota can change their gender marker to an X on their driver's license.
  • September 24
    LGBT employment discrimination becomes sexual orientation only.
    As a matter of fact , in the decision of the 22nd Civil Chamber of the Court of Cassation dated 24.09.2018 and numbered 2015/35120 Main, 2018/19675 , it is emphasized that discrimination due to the sexual orientation of the worker is within the scope of the prohibition (although the concept of "sexual preference" is used with an incorrect terminology) : The prohibition of discrimination can be added to this, due to the employee's sexual preference that does not cause any adverse effects in the workplace. Again, discrimination based on factors such as political reasons and worldview should be protected.”
  • September 18
    Homosexual activity becomes male illegal, female legal.
    Sodomy was a crime under the 1907 common law, punishable with either death or a lesser punishment at the discretion of the court. "Sodomy" has been defined by its courts as "unlawful and intentional sexual relations per anum between two human males. (Decriminalization pending)
  • September 16
    Right to change legal gender becomes legal, no restrictions.
    all acts of surgery abolished since 2018. Missing non binary options on documents.
  • September 12
    Conversion therapy becomes banned.
    Nationwide.
  • September 10
    Homosexual activity becomes illegal (imprisonment as punishment).
    Liable, upon conviction, to imprisonment for a term not less than fifteen years and may be liable to imprisonment for 14-15 years to life. Decriminalization pending.
  • September 8
    Same-sex marriage becomes not legal.
    Same-sex marriage is not legal in Singapore.
  • Homosexual activity becomes illegal (imprisonment as punishment).
    Homosexuality is illegal under Section 377, although it is unclear whether this law applies only to males or to females as well.
  • September 6
    Blood donations by MSMs becomes banned (3-month deferral).
    In all of France.
  • Homosexual activity becomes legal.
    Under Indian Laws.
  • Same-sex adoption becomes single only.
    Single nationwide. but laws might be pending for same sex couples in some areas.
  • Homosexual activity becomes legal.
    Under 2018 Indian Supreme Court Ruling.
  • Homosexual activity becomes legal.
    In the Supreme Court case of Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India, a five-judge Constitutional Bench overturned the Supreme Court's decision in Suresh Kumar Koushal v. Naz Foundation and decriminalized homosexuality by striking down the provisions of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that deemed sexual acts between consenting adults as criminal.
  • Equal age of consent becomes equal.
    The age of consent is equal since decriminalization. In the Supreme Court case of Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India, a five-judge Constitutional Bench overturned the Supreme Court's decision in Suresh Kumar Koushal v. Naz Foundation and decriminalized homosexuality by striking down the provisions of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that deemed sexual acts between consenting adults as criminal.
  • September 1
    Right to change legal gender becomes legal, no restrictions.
    Under French regulation.
  • Right to change legal gender becomes legal, but requires surgery.
    "Sex change operation technical management standard" allows surgeries, and "Reply on household registration change gender related issues after the project's citizens Transsexual" by the Police Ministry allowed the legal gender to be changed.
  • Right to change legal gender becomes legal, no restrictions.
    Individuals can legally change their gender in France. Sex reassignment surgery is state-funded. Requires court approval and proof. According to media reports, in 2010, France became the first country to remove "transsexualism" from their official list of mental illnesses.
  • August 27
    Conversion therapy becomes banned.
    Banned since 2018 under “New York local law-22” after conversion therapy ruled unconstitutional.
  • August 20
    Same-sex adoption becomes legal.
    Single adoption by unmarried individuals, joint adoption by married couples and second parent adoption by married couples are all legal.
  • August 8
    Right to change legal gender becomes legal, no restrictions.
    The law allows adults to change their legal gender based on self-detirmination without any requirements. Minors aged 16 and 17 must have parental consent and a professional psychological opinion.
  • July 24
    Conversion therapy becomes banned.
    Delaware is the 15th state to ban conversion therapy.
  • July 13
    LGBT discrimination becomes no protections.
    There are no protection from discrimination to LGBT people
  • July 9
    Right to change legal gender becomes legal, but requires surgery.
    Tunisian court granted legal gender recognition to a transgender man who received gender-affirming care in Germany, overruling a lower court’s verdict.
  • July 8
    LGBT employment discrimination becomes sexual orientation and gender identity.
    Under a new bill that updated the housing, employment and public accommodation law to include sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.
  • LGBT housing discrimination becomes sexual orientation and gender identity.
    On June 8, 2018 Governor Chris Sununu signed into law House Bill 1319, AN ACT prohibiting discrimination on the basis of gender identity, which banned discrimination in employment, public accommodations and housing based on gender identity. The law went into effect on July 8, 2018.
  • LGBT discrimination becomes illegal.
    On June 8, 2018 Governor Chris Sununu signed into law House Bill 1319, AN ACT prohibiting discrimination on the basis of gender identity, which banned discrimination in employment, public accommodations and housing based on gender identity. The law went into effect on July 8, 2018.
  • July 1
    Same-sex adoption becomes legal.
    Single adoption, joint adoption by married couples and second parent adoption by married couples are legal. However, Kansas allows discrimination against LGBT people on the basis of religion, which means LGBT couples can be refused by some adoption agencies.
  • June 21
    LGBT housing discrimination becomes ambiguous.
    City housing discrimination protections in Lamorie, Jackson.
  • June 17
    Same-sex marriage becomes not legal.
    In June of 2018, the Ukraine justice ministry said that there is no legal grounds in Ukraine currently for same-sex marriage. Deputy Justice Minister Natalia Bernatska has said, "To date, no draft laws or government decisions regarding the legalization of same-sex partnerships in civilian or other forms have been developed." In August 2022, the country’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine’s government may allow civil partnerships for same-sex couples in the future.
  • June 11
    LGBT discrimination becomes no protections.
    No discrimination protections currently.
  • June 8
    Legal recognition of non-binary gender becomes recognized.
    Residents of Alberta can ask for an X gender marker on their IDs and birth certificates.
  • June 7
    Conversion therapy becomes banned.
    SB 5722 - 2017-18 amended RCW 18.130.020 to define conversion therapy and RCW 18.130.180 to discipline licensed health care providers that perform conversion therapy on any patient under the age of eighteen. The ban does not apply to religious practices unless they are performed by licensed health care providers. The US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the bill's constitutionality in TINGLEY V. ROBERT FERGUSON, ET AL, No. 21-35815
  • June 1
    Same-sex marriage becomes civil unions.
    Domestic Partnership Act 2018, effectively repealed same sex marriage.
  • May 26
    Legal recognition of non-binary gender becomes recognized.
    Saskatchewan residents can request an X gender marker on their IDs or birth certificates or opt to remove the marker altogether.
  • May 11
    Legal recognition of non-binary gender becomes recognized.
    he country adopted the "third kind" on civil registration acts in 2018. Discrimination at work, in schools and in public services is therefore prohibited. A local television station has even made a transgender person its anchor/presenter.
  • Legal recognition of non-binary gender becomes recognized.
    Transgender people in Pakistan are allowed to identify as male, female, a blend of both, or neither.
  • Legal recognition of non-binary gender becomes recognized.
    Countrywide recognized, Transgender people are allowed to identify as male, female, a blend of both, or neither.
  • Right to change legal gender becomes legal, no restrictions.
    Transgender people in Pakistan are allowed to self-identify gender legally under the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act.
  • May 9
    LGBT discrimination becomes illegal in some contexts.
    For Gender identity only.
  • May 7
    LGBT employment discrimination becomes sexual orientation and gender identity.
    Article 134A of the Criminal Code (2000), as amended by Law No. 1,482 (2011), criminalises discrimination based on "sexual orientation", while Article 136C (3) and (4) aggravate the penalty if such discrimination is committed by public servants or while providing public services. These provisions ban "sexual orientation" discrimination in broad terms and therefore apply to employment. Article 136C (6) also includes the motive of denying or restricting labour rights as an aggravating factor. Added to the previous factor we have ruling SU440-21 from the Constitutional Court of Colombia. The Colombian Supreme Court "Corte Constitucional de Colombia" decided on December 9, 2021 based on ruling SU440-21 that transgender people in Colombia cannot be discriminated against due to their gender identity when receiving state financial pensions, despite the decision to have as its object the receipt of state financial pensions, the sentence in its paragraph 55, section III makes it clear that the principle by which this decision was taken is that gender identity is protected by the general constitutional clause of article 13 of the Constitution of Colombia making it clear that discrimination based on gender identity is prohibited in other areas, which includes housing and employment discrimination.
  • May
    Blood donations by MSMs becomes banned (5-year deferral).
    In March 2018, the Government gazetted, for a two-month public consultation, amendments to the Standards on Assessing Donor Suitability for Blood Donation that included allowing gay and bisexual men who have not had sex with another man for five years to donate blood. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Welfare said that the abstinence period would be further reduced to one year in the future, so as to bring the Taiwanese standard in line with Western countries.
  • April 20
    Same-sex adoption becomes legal.
    Adoption of Children Legislation Amendment (Equality) Bill 2017
  • Same-sex adoption becomes legal.
    Adoption is not a federal law and is state-based. Since April 2018, same-sex couples can adopt children in all jurisdictions within Australia.
  • April 17
    Same-sex adoption becomes single only.
    Law 4538/2018 grants the right for couples to foster children. Individuals can adopt normally.
  • April 12
    Homosexual activity becomes legal.
    Became legal on April 12, 2018. The news is from HRC and Pink news.
  • Equal age of consent becomes equal.
    Since decriminalization of homosexuality in 2018, the age of consent has been equal.
  • April 10
    LGBT employment discrimination becomes no protections.
  • April
    Blood donations by MSMs becomes legal with restrictions.
    A more complex testing process is in place for MSM donations but you cannot skip this test.
  • April 1
    LGBT housing discrimination becomes no protections.
    No protections involving sexual orientation or gender identity.
  • LGBT employment discrimination becomes ambiguous.
    Only in state employment only.
  • March 26
    LGBT housing discrimination becomes no protections.
    No discrimination Protections Yet.
  • LGBT employment discrimination becomes no protections.
    Gay people or transgender people are misunderstood.
  • March 13
    Same-sex adoption becomes legal.
    On March 13, 2018, the Northern Territory passed a new law allowing same-sex couples to adopt children.
  • March 7
    Same-sex adoption becomes legal.
    Since 2015. no laws restricting adoption.
  • LGBT employment discrimination becomes ambiguous.
    Full discrimination protections in city of Jackson, Mongolia, Clarksville.
  • Same-sex adoption becomes legal.
    Under federal law as well as Idaho state law
  • March 1
    Right to change legal gender becomes legal, no restrictions.
    In all of Brazil, transgender people can request their gender be legally changed without surgery or medical diagnosis.
  • Right to change legal gender becomes legal, no restrictions.
    Nationwide.
  • Right to change legal gender becomes legal, no restrictions.
    In March 2018, the Brazilian Supreme Court ruled that transgender people have the right to change name and sex on their birth certificate without the need of sexual reassignment surgery or doctor letters. The change can be made at a notary's office now.
  • February 15
    Conversion therapy becomes not banned.
    Conversion therapy ban pending.
  • February 13
    Legal recognition of non-binary gender becomes not legally recognized.
    Gender-neutral names can be used on IDs and birth certificates, following the case of Jason-Antigone Dane, but one can only legally identify as male or female
  • February 12
    Right to change legal gender becomes legal, no restrictions.
    requires public announcement of name change. Changes pending. Missing non binary options on drivers licenses.
  • Right to change legal gender becomes legal, but requires surgery.
    Requires surgery to change birth Certificate. Changes pending. Non binary options pending.
  • February 2
    LGBT employment discrimination becomes ambiguous.
    In four cities.
  • LGBT discrimination becomes illegal in some contexts.
    Full City protections in Jackson and city of Mongolia.
  • LGBT discrimination becomes illegal in some contexts.
    Full City protections in Jackson, Mongolia, Clarksville. Starkville just had its first pride parade. Currently being faught by Mississippi Gov.
  • LGBT discrimination becomes illegal.
    Complete State protection. as well complete city protections for all areas. State wide discrimination protections in employment, housing. previous sex prohibition on sex discrimination is interpreted to include sexual orientation and gender identity.
  • Right to change legal gender becomes legal, no restrictions.
    No conditions required. Non binary options on drivers licenses pending.
  • January 27
    Legal recognition of non-binary gender becomes recognized.
    WAC 246-490-075 includes the legal gender marking "X" as a gender that is not exclusively male or female, including, but not limited to, intersex, agender, amalgagender, androgynous, bigender, demigender, female-to-male, genderfluid, genderqueer, male-to-female, neutrois, nonbinary, pangender, third sex, transgender, transsexual, Two Spirit, and unspecified.
  • January 22
    Conversion therapy becomes not banned.
    Not criminalized or regulated, Due to Christian attitudes, this isn’t likely to change
  • January 19
    Right to change legal gender becomes legal, no restrictions.
    Under the 2018 revision by the Ministry of Health, a medical commision can issue a certificate of gender change without the need for surgery or hormone replacement therapy.
  • January 15
    LGBT housing discrimination becomes sexual orientation and gender identity.
  • LGBT employment discrimination becomes sexual orientation and gender identity.
  • LGBT discrimination becomes illegal.
    Only for gender identity and expression.
  • LGBT discrimination becomes illegal.
    Nationwide.
  • January 9
    Right to change legal gender becomes legal, no restrictions.
    Under Movement advancement project. Missing non binary options on documents.