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2019 in LGBT Rights

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In 2019, there were 21 recorded legal changes made affecting LGBT people. In the previous year, there were 77 changes made and 25 in the following year. A total of 1184 legal changes were made in the 2010s.

  • October 15
    Equal age of consent becomes equal.
    Equalized under the child protection act, for both homosexual and heterosexual activity is 18 years old . However under the Indonesian Penal code the minimum age of consent for heterosexual activity is 15 years old. In 2019, the marriageable age for a heterosexual marriage is equalized to 19 years old for both males and females.
  • September 20
    Blood donations by MSMs becomes banned (1-year deferral).
    MSMs can now donate blood, but with a 1-year deferral. Deferral may be trimmed down to 4 months.
  • August 27
    Conversion therapy becomes banned.
    The governor has signed into law a bill banning conversion therapy, which took effect 90 days after it was signed on May 29, 2019
  • July 10
    Blood donations by MSMs becomes legal.
    The ban on MSM for donating blood was lifted.
  • July 8
    Same-sex marriage becomes legal.
    Civil marriage between same-sex couples is already a right acquired in Ecuador. On the night of July 8, 2019, sentences 10-18-CN / 19 and 11-18-CN / 19 of the Constitutional Court were published in the Official Gazette.
  • June 21
    Equal age of consent becomes equal.
    Equal age of consent at 16. Previously, anal sex was set at 18.
  • June 18
    Legal recognition of non-binary gender becomes recognized.
    The new law also allows people to register a third gender option 'X' as their legal gender.
  • Conversion therapy becomes banned.
    Conversion therapy in Canada is now banned nationwide after the House of Commons voted in favor of banning it.
  • Right to change legal gender becomes legal, surgery not required.
    A new law has been passed that allows Icelandic people to change their resistered gender without medical interventions.
  • June 13
    LGBT discrimination becomes illegal.
    The Supreme Federal Court criminalised LGBT discrimination nationwide, and now, according to the new law, it is considered a "crime of racism".
  • June 11
    Homosexual activity becomes legal.
    Botswana's High Court has ruled in favour of decriminalising homosexuality in a landmark decision for campaigners.
  • June 3
    Blood donations by MSMs becomes banned (3-month deferral).
    Waiting period moved to 3 months for MSMs in May 2019
  • Blood donations by MSMs becomes banned (3-month deferral).
    MSMs were previously put on indefinite deferral until the 2013 announcement by Canadian Blood Services, then further reduced to 3 months in 2019.
  • May 24
    Same-sex marriage becomes legal.
    On 24 May 2017, the Constitutional Court ruled that the constitutional right to equality and freedom of marriage guarantees same-sex couples the right to marry under the Constitution of the Republic of China. The ruling (Judicial Yuan Interpretation No. 748) gave the Legislative Yuan two years to bring the marriage laws into compliance, after which registration of such marriages would come into force automatically. On 20 February 2019, a draft bill entitled the Enforcement Act of Judicial Yuan Interpretation No. 748 was released. The draft bill would grant same-sex married couples almost all the rights available to heterosexual married couples under the Civil Code, with the exception that it only allows adoption of a child genetically related to one of them. The Executive Yuan passed it the following day, sending it to the Legislative Yuan for fast-tracked review. The bill was passed on 17 May, signed by the President on 22 May and took effect on 24 May 2019 (the last day possible under the Court's ruling).
  • May 9
    Blood donations by MSMs becomes banned (3-month deferral).
    Banned with 3 months deferral
  • April 11
    Homosexuals serving openly in military becomes lesbians, gays, bisexuals permitted, transgender people banned.
    New policy goes into effect barring individuals with a "condition" known as "gender dysphoria."
  • April 8
    Conversion therapy becomes banned.
    Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker signed HR 140, a bill that bans gay conversion therapy on minors, into law on April 8, 2019.
  • March 28
    Homosexual activity becomes illegal (death penalty as punishment).
    Starting April 3rd, 2019, new penal code instituted by the Sultan will include death by stoning to those caught and convicted of homosexual offenses
  • March 27
    Conversion therapy becomes banned.
    It was banned since 2019 by executive order due to the mental issues people suffered from these conversion therapies .
  • January 24
    Same-sex marriage becomes unrecognized.
    Homosexuality was legalized on Jan 24th 2019, effectively changing the status of same sex unions
  • Homosexual activity becomes legal.
    Legalized after an act of parliament

LGBT Organizations Founded in 2019

  • Queer Youth Group FaviconQueer Youth Group
    Global
    Queer Youth Group is a loose affiliation of young activists (16-30) who identify in identities of Queer, MOGAI or any cultural terms that is non-cis-hetero. Queer Youth Group…
  • Queer Youth Group FaviconQueer Youth Group
    Global
    Queer Youth Group is a loose affiliation of young activists (16-30) who identify in identities of Queer, MOGAI or any cultural terms that is non-cis-hetero. Queer Youth Group…