2019 in LGBT Rights

In 2019, there were 75 recorded legal changes made affecting LGBT people. In the previous year, there were 127 changes made and 156 in the following year. A total of 1451 legal changes were made in the 2010s.

  • December 27
    Right to change legal gender becomes legal, surgery not required.
    Since 2019, the Law that Recognises and Protects the Right to Gender Identity (Law No. 21,120) allows transgender people over the age of 14 to legally change their name and gender on all official documents. For persons over 18 years of age, the change is requested by submitting a request to the Civil Registry and Identification Service. Article 4(c) of the law stipulates that it will not be a requirement to have undergone any type of intervention or appearance-modifying treatment. In 1974, Marcia Alejandra Torres became the first person in Chile to legally change her name and gender on the birth certificate after undergo sex reassignment surgery.
  • December 5
    Right to change legal gender becomes legal, but requires surgery.
    The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 allows for transgender individuals to change their gender marker to either "male" or "female" only after showing proof of their gender confirmation surgery issued by a medical officer to the District Magistrate. This provision contradicts the Supreme Court decision in 2014. This contradiction has been challenged as unconstitutional in the Indian Supreme Court. As of June 2020, a second petition alleging unconstitutionality has been entered, and will be heard along with the first. Overall, the petitions challenge Sections 4, 5, 6, and 7 of the Act, claiming that they also contradict the Constitution of India. This case is still pending a decision. Under section 6 of Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, a trans person may apply to be issued a certificate of identity that certifies that they are transgender (denoted as "Transgender"). Upon receiving this certificate, the applicants have the right to be recorded as transgender in all official documents.
  • December
    Blood donations by MSMs becomes banned (1-year deferral).
    In December 2019, a deferral period of one year was put in place. On May 20, 2022, Austria voted to lift the ban entirely and instead vet donors according to the risk of their sexual behavior. The new law is expected to take effect in the Fall.
  • November 13
    Legal recognition of non-binary gender becomes recognized.
    Massachusetts residents can self-identify as non-binary with an X gender marker on their driver's license, IDs and birth certificate.
  • November
    Right to change legal gender becomes legal, surgery not required.
    Surgery is not required to change the gender marker on IDs such as State ID or a driver's license.
  • October 29
    Legal recognition of non-binary gender becomes recognized.
    New Mexico allows gender neutral gender options
  • October 15
    Equal age of consent becomes varies by region.
    Equal except for the region of Aceh (Homosexuality is illegal there)
  • October 7
    LGBT discrimination becomes illegal in some contexts.
    The Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act (MRHA) was amended in 2019 to include protections for individuals from the LGBTQ community. In 2021, Minister for Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam stated that “LGBTQ persons, non-LGBTQ persons, we are all equal. We are not any lesser by reason of our sexual preferences.”
  • October 1
    Legal recognition of non-binary gender becomes recognized.
    Maryland residents can self-identify their gender (with an X gender marker as one of the options) on their driver's license or state IDs.
  • 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.
  • September 6
    Right to change legal gender becomes illegal.
    There is no longer a right to change one’s legal gender.
  • 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
  • August 16
    Same-sex marriage becomes legal.
    Same-sex marriage in Aguascalientes turned legal in accordance with a ruling from the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation on 2 April 2019 that the state's ban on same-sex marriage violated Articles 1 and 4 of the Constitution of Mexico. The ruling came into effect upon publication in the Official Gazette of the Federation on 16 August 2019, legalizing same-sex marriage in Aguascalientes.
  • August 2
    Conversion therapy becomes banned.
    On August 2, 2019, North Carolina governor signed an executive order to prohibit the use of state funds for conversion therapy on minors with the aim of changing their sexual orientation or gender identity.
  • July 10
    Blood donations by MSMs becomes legal.
    The ban on MSM for donating blood was lifted.
  • July 9
    Legal recognition of non-binary gender becomes recognized.
    Nova Scotia residents can ask for an X on their birth certificate or driver's license, or they can opt to remove the gender marker altogether, free of charge.
  • 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.
  • July 5
    Equal age of consent becomes n/a.
    Homosexual activity is illegal.
  • Homosexual activity becomes illegal (imprisonment as punishment).
    Article 402 of the Penal Code outlines moral offences, including "sexual relations between persons of the same sex", punishable by imprisonment of up to six months and a fine of up to 5 million CFA francs.
  • June 21
    Equal age of consent becomes equal.
    Under federal legislation.
  • Equal age of consent becomes equal.
    Under federal legislation.
  • Equal age of consent becomes equal.
    Under federal legislation.
  • Equal age of consent becomes equal.
    Age of consent equalized to age 16.
  • Equal age of consent becomes equal.
    Under federal legislation.
  • Equal age of consent becomes equal.
    Under federal legislation.
  • Equal age of consent becomes equal.
    Under federal legislation.
  • Equal age of consent becomes equal.
    Under federal legislation.
  • 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.
  • Right to change legal gender becomes legal, surgery not required.
    A new law has been passed that allows Icelandic people to change their registered gender without medical interventions.
  • June 15
    Right to change legal gender becomes legal, surgery not required.
    New Mexican born residents can request to change their legal gender marker. Surgery is not required.
  • June 13
    LGBT housing discrimination becomes sexual orientation and gender identity.
    Under federal regulation.
  • LGBT discrimination becomes illegal.
    Under federal regulation.
  • LGBT discrimination becomes illegal.
    Under federal regulation.
  • LGBT discrimination becomes illegal.
    Under federal regulation.
  • LGBT discrimination becomes illegal.
    Under federal regulation.
  • LGBT housing discrimination becomes sexual orientation and gender identity.
    When renting a property, the owner cannot refuse a tenant on the basis of ethnicity, religion, social status or sexual orientation or any social group someone belongs to. It is written in the Federal Constitution, discrimination is a crime.
  • 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".
  • LGBT discrimination becomes illegal.
    Under federal regulation.
  • LGBT housing discrimination becomes sexual orientation and gender identity.
    Under federal regulation.
  • LGBT employment discrimination becomes sexual orientation and gender identity.
    After the Supreme Federal Court's ruling, LGBT discrimination in employment is also a crime. Employees who are victims of discrimination usually receive compensation for moral damages caused by the aggressors.
  • 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).
    Following the Canadian Blood Services guidelines.
  • Blood donations by MSMs becomes banned (3-month deferral).
    Following the Canadian Blood Services guidelines.
  • Blood donations by MSMs becomes banned (3-month deferral).
    Following the Canadian Blood Services guidelines.
  • Blood donations by MSMs becomes banned (3-month deferral).
    Following the Canadian Blood Services guidelines.
  • Blood donations by MSMs becomes banned (3-month deferral).
    Following Canadian Blood Services guidelines.
  • Blood donations by MSMs becomes banned (3-month deferral).
    Following Canadian Blood Services guidelines.
  • Blood donations by MSMs becomes banned (3-month deferral).
    Following Canadian Blood Services guidelines.
  • Blood donations by MSMs becomes banned (3-month deferral).
    Following the Canadian Blood Services guidelines.
  • Blood donations by MSMs becomes banned (3-month deferral).
    Following the Canadian Blood Services Guidelines.
  • Blood donations by MSMs becomes banned (3-month deferral).
    Following Canadian Blood Services guidelines, change pending.
  • Blood donations by MSMs becomes banned (3-month deferral).
    Blood donations in Ontario are managed by Canadian Blood Services and thus follow its guidelines.
  • Blood donations by MSMs becomes banned (3-month deferral).
    Health Canada mandates a 3-month deferral across the nation.
  • Blood donations by MSMs becomes banned (3-month deferral).
    Banned with 3 months deferral
  • 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.
  • June
    LGBT housing discrimination becomes sexual orientation only.
    Article 4 of the Declaration of Citizen Rights of 1974 (one of the documents that are part of the Constitution of San Marino) was amended to explicitly include “sexual orientation” as a prohibited ground of discrimination, after a national referendum in June 2019. No law explicity mention sexual orientation protection from discrimination in employment.
  • LGBT discrimination becomes illegal.
    Article 4 of the Declaration of Citizen Rights of 1974 (one of the documents that are part of the Constitution of San Marino) was amended to explicitly include “sexual orientation” as a prohibited ground of discrimination, after a national referendum in June 2019.
  • May 31
    Conversion therapy becomes banned.
    Conversion Therapy is banned for people under the age of 18. It is also considered a "deceptive trade practice" to advertise such services.
  • 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).
  • Same-sex adoption becomes step-child adoption only.
    The same-sex marriage law (that passed the Legislative Yuan in May 2019) grants married same-sex couples the right to adopt children genetically related to one of the partners.
  • April 22
    Legal recognition of non-binary gender becomes recognized.
    Nevada-born residents can request an X gender marker on their birth certificates. Residents can ask for an X on IDs and driver's licenses.
  • April 11
    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 30
    Serving openly in military becomes don't ask, don't tell.
    In 2019 a military tribunal acquited four personnel who accused of sodomy. The judge ruled that the law does not specify what acts are "contrary to nature". They were however dismissed from their posts.
  • March 28
    Homosexual activity becomes illegal (death penalty as punishment).
    Death penalty for married men caught in having homosexual offenses (unenforced); 100 lashes for unmarried men. 40 strokes of the cane or maximum 10 years of imprisonment for women.
  • 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 .
  • March 25
    Legal recognition of non-binary gender becomes ambiguous.
    Not currently available for birth certificates, but initially available for driver's licenses and state IDs.
  • March 12
    Legal recognition of non-binary gender becomes recognized.
    X gender markers available on driver's licenses. However, since January 2020, state agencies can’t use non-binary gender marker.
  • February 15
    LGBT employment discrimination becomes sexual orientation and gender identity.
    The Law 13/2019, of 15 February, for equal treatment and non-discrimination, provides protection for LGBT people, among others, in numerous areas including employment, education, health care, social services, housing, public establishments, etc. Article 4(2) states: «No one may be discriminated against on the basis of birth, nationality or lack of nationality, racial origin or ethnicity, sex or female gender, religion, philosophical, political or trade union opinion, language, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other personal or social condition or circumstance.»
  • February 14
    Same-sex marriage becomes ambiguous.
    Legalized in Zacatecas (14 February 2019), Cuauhtémoc (1 March 2019), Villanueva (1 May 2019), Miguel Auza (5 July 2019), Freshnillo (3 July 2020) cities.
  • February 1
    Legal recognition of non-binary gender becomes recognized.
    New Jersey-born residents can ask for an X as their gender marker on their birth certificate as well as IDs.
  • January 24
    Homosexual activity becomes legal.
    Legalized after an act of parliament
  • January 11
    Conversion therapy becomes not banned.
    There is no legislation prohibiting conversion therapy in Portugal. In 2023, Portugal's parliament passed a bill that includes a ban on conversion therapy, amongst other measures, but this needs to be passed by the President of the Republic before it becomes law. In 2019, after an open letter by 250 psychologists to the the regulatory Ordem dos Psicólogos, the body affirmed that conversion therapy is malpractice and has no basis in science and is not justifiable.
  • January 4
    Conversion therapy becomes banned.
    Banned after 2018, court ruling, however, as of 2022 there is a pending bill to overturn that law.