Laws governing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) rights are complex in Asia, and acceptance of LGBTQ persons is generally low. Same-sex sexual activity is outlawed in at least twenty Asian countries. In Afghanistan, Brunei, Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen, homosexual activity results in death penalty.[1][2] In addition, LGBT people also face extrajudicial executions from non-state actors such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.[3][4] While egalitarian relationships have become more frequent in recent years, they remain rare.[2][5][6]

LGBTQ rights in Asia
StatusLegal, with an equal age of consent, in 29 out of 50 states
Legal, with an equal age of consent, in 7 territories
Gender identityLegal in 23 out of 50 states
Legal in 1 territory
MilitaryAllowed in 9 out of 50 states
Allowed in 2 territories
Discrimination protectionsProtected in 14 out of 50 states
Protected in 4 territories
Family rights
Recognition of relationshipsRecognized in 5 out of 50 states
Recognized in 4 territories
RestrictionsSame-sex marriage constitutionally banned in 5 out of 50 states
AdoptionLegal in 2 out of 50 states

Historical discrimination towards homosexuality in much of the region include the ban on homosexual acts enforced by Genghis Khan in the Mongol Empire, which made male homosexuality punishable by death.[7][8] The Fatawa-e-Alamgiri of the Mughal Empire (descended from the Mongol Empire) mandated a common set of punishments for homosexuality, which could include 50 lashes for a slave, 100 for a free infidel, or death by stoning for a Muslim,[9][10][11][12][13][14][15] whereas the Yuan Dynasty (descended from the Mongol Empire) implemented a crackdown on homosexuality in China that was continued by the Ming Dynasty.[16][17]

Many Asian countries have collectivist cultures, wherein aggression is generally accepted by society if it is used to protect the family honor. Homosexuality is generally considered to be dishonorable, so homophobic aggression in the name of protecting family honor is common.[18]

The only Asian jurisdictions which nationally recognize same-sex marriage are Taiwan and Thailand.[19][20] In 2019, a survey by The Economist found 45% of respondents in the Asia-Pacific believed that same-sex marriage is inevitable in the region, while 31% of respondents disagreed. Furthermore, three-quarters of those surveyed reported a more open climate for LGBT rights compared to three years ago. Of those reporting an improving climate for LGBT people, 38% cited a change in policies or laws. Meanwhile, 36% said coverage of LGBT issues in mainstream media was a major factor. The top reasons cited for diminishing openness was anti-LGBT advocacy by religious institutions.[21][22]

Laws regarding homosexuality in Asia
Same-sex sexual activity legal
  Marriage performed
  Marriage recognized
  Other type of partnership
  Legal guardianships or unregistered cohabitation
  Limited foreign recognition (residency rights)
  No recognition of same-sex couples
  Restrictions on freedom of expression, not enforced
  Severe restrictions of association with arrests or detention
Same-sex sexual activity illegal
  Prison, not enforced
  Prison
  Death penalty on books, not enforced
  Enforced death penalty

Legislation by country or territory

This table:

North Asia

edit
LGBT rights in: Same-sex sexual activity Recognition of same-sex unions Same-sex marriage Adoption by same-sex couples LGBT people allowed to serve openly in military? Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation Laws concerning gender identity/expression
  Russia   Yes Fully legal since 1993[23][24]

  No Illegal de facto in Chechnya, where homosexuals are abducted and sent to concentration camps based on their perceived sexual orientation.
  No   No Constitutional ban since 2020[25]   No   Yes[26]   No   No Gender change has not been legal since 2023[27]

Central Asia

edit
LGBT rights in: Same-sex sexual activity Recognition of same-sex unions Same-sex marriage Adoption by same-sex couples LGBT people allowed to serve openly in military? Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation Laws concerning gender identity/expression
  Kazakhstan   Yes Legal since 1998[24]   No   No   No   Yes Since 2022[28]   No   Yes[29]
  Kyrgyzstan   Yes Legal since 1998[24]   No   No Constitutional ban since 2016[30]   No Un­known   No   Yes Requires sex reassignment surgery[31][29]
  Tajikistan   Yes Legal since 1998[24]   No   No   No Un­known   No   Yes Requires sex reassignment surgery[32][29]
  Turkmenistan   No Illegal for males since 1927
Penalty: up to 2 years imprisonment.[33]
  No   No   No   No   No   No
  Uzbekistan   No Illegal for males since 1926
Penalty: up to 3 years imprisonment.[33]
  No   No   No   No   No   No

West Asia

edit
LGBT rights in: Same-sex sexual activity Recognition of same-sex unions Same-sex marriage Adoption by same-sex couples LGBT people allowed to serve openly in military? Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation Laws concerning gender identity/expression
  Abkhazia
(Disputed territory)
  Yes Legal   No   No   No Un­known   No Un­known
  Akrotiri and Dhekelia
(Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom)
  Yes Legal since 2000
+ UN decl. sign.[24]
  Yes Civil partnerships since 2005   Yes Legal since 2014 Un­known   Yes UK responsible for defence   Yes Bans some anti-gay discrimination[34] Un­known
  Armenia   Yes Legal since 2003
+ UN decl. sign.[24]
  No   No Constitutional ban since 2015[35][36]   No LGBT individuals may adopt, but not same-sex couples.   No [37]   No   No
  Azerbaijan   Yes Legal since 2000[24]   No   No   No   No   No   No
  Bahrain   Yes Legal since 1976[24]   No   No   No   No   No   Yes Transgender people allowed to change legal gender, but only after sex reassignment surgery.[38]
  Cyprus   Yes Legal since 1998
+ UN decl. sign.[24]
  Yes Civil cohabitation since 2015[39]   No   No   Yes[40]   Yes Bans some anti-gay discrimination[41]   Yes Forbids some discrimination based on gender identity.[42]
  No Gender change is not legal.
  Egypt   Yes/   No Ambiguous. Male de jure legal, but de facto illegal since 2000
Penalty: Up to 17 years imprisonment with or without hard labour and with or without fines under broadly-written morality laws.[24][43]
  No   No   No   No   No   No
  Georgia   Yes Legal since 2000
+ UN decl. sign.[24]
  No   No Constitutional ban since 2018   No Un­known   Yes Bans all anti-gay discrimination[44]   Yes Requires sterilization and sex reassignment surgery for change[45]
  Iran     No Illegal
Penalty: 74 lashes for immature men and death penalty for mature men (although there are documented cases of minors executed because of their sexual orientation)[46]. For women, 100 lashes for women of mature sound mind and if consenting. Death penalty offense after fourth conviction.[24]
  No   No   No   No   No   Yes Legal gender recognition legal if accompanied by a medical intervention[47]
  Iraq   No Re-criminalized in 2024.[48] Penalty: Prison sentence between 10 and 15 years.   No   No   No   No   No   No
  Israel   Yes Legal since 1963 (de facto), 1988 (de jure)[49]
+ UN decl. sign.[24][50]
  Yes Unregistered cohabitation since 1994.   No/  Yes Foreign same-sex marriages are recognized and recorded in the population registry   No Permitted by law since 2008,[51] but in practice not possible in nearly every case[52]   Yes Since 1993; Includes transgender people[53]   Yes Bans all anti-gay discrimination[54][55][56]   No Almost full recognition of gender's ID without a surgery or medical intervention (Excluding changing gender and name in birth certificate) ;[57] equal employment opportunity law bars discrimination based on gender identity[58][59][60]
  Jordan   Yes Legal[24]   No   No   No Un­known   No   Yes Allowed since 2014[61]
  Kuwait
  •   No Male illegal
  • Penalty: Fines or up to 6-year prison sentence.
  •   Yes Female always legal[24][62]
  No   No   No   No   No   No
  Lebanon   Yes /   No Ambiguous. Illegal under Article 534 of the Penal Code. Some judges have ruled not to prosecute individuals based on the law, however, this has not been settled by the Supreme Court and thus homosexuality is still illegal.[63] However, a 2017 court ruling claims that it is legal, but the law against it is still in place.
Penalty: Up to 1 year imprisonment (unenforced).
  No   No   No   No   No   Yes Legal gender change allowed, but sex reassignment surgery required[64]
  Northern Cyprus
(Disputed territory)
  Yes Legal since 2014[65][66][24]   No   No   No   No   Yes Bans all anti-gay discrimination[65][66]   Yes Legal, requires surgery for change[67]
  Oman   No Illegal
Penalty: Fines and prison sentence up to 3 years (only enforced when dealing with "public scandal").[24]
  No   No   No   No   No   No Laws against forms of gender expression.
  Palestine
West Bank:
  Yes Legal[24]
Gaza:
No consensus on legal applicability of British 1936 Sexual offences provisions to homosexual conduct[68][69][70][71]
West Bank:
  No
Gaza:
  No
  No   No Un­known   No   No
  Qatar     No Illegal
Penalty: Fines, up to 7 years imprisonment[24] Death penalty for Muslims.
  No   No   No   No   No   No
  Saudi Arabia
[24]
  No   No   No   No   No   No Laws against forms of gender expression.
  South Ossetia
(Disputed territory)
  Yes Legal   No   No   No Un­known   No Un­known
Syria     No   No   No official military    
  Turkey   Yes Legal since 1858[24]   No   No   No LGBT individuals may adopt, but not same-sex couples.   No   No   Yes Requires sterilisation and sex reassignment surgery for change[75]
  United Arab Emirates
  •   No Illegal (unenforced): Prosecution only on complaint of husband or (male) legal guardian[76][77]
  • Penalty: Max – no upper limit, sentence at courts' discretion
  • Min. – 6 months' imprisonment[76][78]
  No   No   No   No   No   No Sex reassignment surgery severely restricted to limited circumstances (mainly physical intersex traits), highly regulated by the state.[79][80] Laws used against forms of gender expression.[81]
  Yemen     No Illegal (codified in 1994)
Penalty: Unmarried men punished with 100 lashes of the whip or a maximum of one year of imprisonment, stoning for adultery is not enforced. Women punished up to three years of imprisonment.[24]
  No   No   No   No   No   No

South Asia

edit
LGBT rights in: Same-sex sexual activity Recognition of same-sex unions Same-sex marriage Adoption by same-sex couples LGBT people allowed to serve openly in military? Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation Laws concerning gender identity/expression
  Afghanistan     No Illegal
Penalty: Death penalty[82]
  No   No   No   No   No   No
  Bangladesh   No Illegal since 1862
Penalty: 10 years to life imprisonment (Occasionally enforced).[24][83]
  No   No   No   No   No A third gender option (hijra) besides male and female is available for a certain sect of third genders[84]
  Bhutan   Yes Legal since 2021[85]   No   No   No   No   No   No
  British Indian Ocean Territory
(Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom)
  Yes Legal since 2001
+ UN decl. sign.[24]
  Yes Civil partnerships since 2005   Yes Legal since 2014 Un­known   Yes UK responsible for defense Un­known Un­known
  India   Yes Legal since 2018[86]   No/  Yes symboic live-In relationships exist [87]   No   No   No   Yes/   No Discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity prohibited by court decision. No nationwide law.[88][89][90]   Yes A third gender option (hijra) besides male and female is available; transgender people have a constitutional right to change gender, only after medical/surgical intervention[91][90]
  Maldives   No Illegal (codified in 2014)
Penalty: Up to 8 years imprisonment, house arrest, lashings and fines. (unenforced)[92] LGBTQ welcomed in tourist islands [93]
  No   No   No   No   No   No
  Nepal   Yes Legal since 2007
+ UN decl. sign.[24]
  No   No   No   Yes Since 2007[94]   Yes/  No Limited protection since 2015[95]   No Change to third gender "O" legal since 2007, unable to change to male or female[96]
  Pakistan   No Illegal since 1862
Penalty: 2 years to life sentence (Occasionally enforced).[24][97]
  No   No   No   No   Yes Transphobia illegal

  No Homophobia/biphobia is not illegal

  Yes Right to change gender; transgender and intersex citizens have legal protections from all discrimination and harassment[98]
  Sri Lanka   No Illegal since 1885
Penalty: Up to 10 years imprisonment with fines.[24] (Ruled unenforcable by the Supreme Court) Legalization proposed
  No   No   No   No   No   Yes Transgender people allowed to change legal gender without surgery

East Asia

edit
LGBT rights in: Same-sex sexual activity Recognition of relationships Same-sex marriage Adoption by same-sex couples LGBT people allowed to serve openly in military? Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation Laws concerning gender identity/expression
  China   Yes Legal since 1997[24]   No/  Yes "Legal guardianship" since 2017   No   No   Yes can openly serve
  No open displays of affection [99][100]
 Yes Court has in some cases protected LGBT workers from employment discrimination.[101]
  No protection codified in law
  Yes

legal gender change possible since 2002.

Since 2022, legal gender change allowed with only partial sex reassignment surgery. Difficulty remains to change gender information on diplomas and degrees.[102][103]

  Hong Kong   Yes Legal since 1991[24]   No/  Yes Same-sex marriages registered overseas for government benefits and taxation, and limited recognition of local cohabiting partners   No   No LGBT individuals may adopt, but not same-sex couples[104] The central government of China is responsible for the defense of Hong Kong.[105]   Yes Bans some anti-gay discrimination (government discrimination only)   Yes Following a legal decision, may change gender marker after partial sex reassignment surgery.[106]
  Japan   Yes Legal since 1882
+ UN decl. sign.[24]
  No * Symbolic recognition in some jurisdictions.   No Proposed in 2023[107]   No   Yes The Japan Self-Defense Forces allow gay people to enlist.[108]   No nationwide protections
  Yes some cities ban some anti-gay discrimination[24]
  Yes Transgender people allowed to change legal gender, but only after sex reassignment surgery
  Macau   Yes Legal since 1996   No   No   No The central government of China is responsible for the defence of Macau.   Yes Bans some anti-gay discrimination Un­known
  Mongolia   Yes Legal since 1993
+ UN decl. sign.[24]
  No   No Constitutional ban since 1992   No Un­known   Yes Bans some anti-gay discrimination   Yes Transgender people allowed to change legal gender but only after sex reassignment surgery
  North Korea   Yes /   No Ambiguous, punishable through Articles 193 and 262 regarding obscenity and decency laws.[dubiousdiscuss]
Penalty: Unknown
  No   No   No   Yes can serve with 10-year celibacy required for all soldiers.[109]
  No open displays of LGBT attitudes.
  No   No
  South Korea   Yes Legal
+ UN decl. sign.[24]
  No   No Proposed in 2023[110]   No   No   Yes/  No Protection from discrimination varies by jurisdiction in some areas, including Seoul   Yes Transgender people allowed to change legal gender but usually requires sex reassignment surgery
  Taiwan   Yes Legal[111]  [112]   Legal since 2019[113][114][115]   Yes Stepchild adoption since 2019
  Yes Joint adoption legal since 2023[116]
  Yes   Yes Constitutionally bans all anti-gay discrimination from government[117]; several laws banning anti-gay discrimination regarding education and employment.[118][119]   Yes Transgender people allowed to change legal gender, but only after sex reassignment surgery.[a]

Southeast Asia

edit
LGBT rights in Same-sex sexual activity Recognition of relationships Same-sex marriage Adoption by same-sex couples LGBT people allowed to serve openly in military? Anti-discrimination laws concerning sexual orientation Laws concerning gender identity/expression
  Aceh (autonomous territory of Indonesia)   No Illegal
Penalty: 100 strokes of the cane or 8 years in prison[121]
  No   No   No LGBT individuals may adopt, but not same-sex couples   No The central government of Indonesia is responsible for the defense of Aceh.   Yes Follows the law of the central Indonesian government.   Yes Follows the law of the central Indonesian government.
  Brunei     No Illegal since 1908
Penalty: Death by stoning (in abeyance), 1 year imprisonment and 100 lashes for men. Caning and 10 years prison for women.[122]
  No   No   No   No   No Laws prohibit forms of gender expression.
  Cambodia   Yes Legal[24]   No/  Yes Partnerships recognized in certain cities   No Constitutional ban since 1993   No Un­known   No   No[123]
  East Timor   Yes Legal since 1975
+ UN decl. sign.[24]
  No   No   Yes LGBT individuals may adopt
but same-sex couples can not adopt
Un­known   Yes Bans some anti gay discrimination, Hate crime protections since 2009.[124] Un­known
  Indonesia   Yes Legal (except in Aceh)[24][125]   No   No   No LGBT individuals may adopt, but not same-sex couples   No Not explicitly prohibited by Law (de jure), Illegal (de facto)   Yes Limited protection following legal process by the authorities.[126]   Yes Transgender people allowed to change legal gender, but only after sex reassignment surgery.
  Laos   Yes Legal[24]   No   No   No Un­known   No Un­known
  Malaysia   No Illegal since 1871
Penalty: fines, prison sentence (2–20 years), or whippings.[24][127]
  No   No   No LGBT individuals may adopt, but not same-sex couples   No   No   No Generally impossible to change gender. However, a 2016 court ruling recognizes gender changes as fundamental constitutional rights[128] Forms of gender expression are criminalized.
  Myanmar   No Illegal since 1886
Penalty: Up to 20 years in prison (unenforced).[24][129]
  No   No   No   No   No   No
  Philippines   Yes Legal
+ UN decl. sign.[130][24][131][132] [b]
  No (Pending) [130]   No (Pending) [133]   No LGBT individuals may adopt, but not same-sex couples[134][133]   Yes Since 2009   Yes/  No Bans some anti-gay discrimination in certain cities and provinces,[135] including the City of Manila,[136]Cebu City,[137] Quezon City,[138] and Davao City;[139]
Nationwide anti-bullying law for basic education students.[140]
  No Generally impossible to change legal gender. However in Cagandahan vs Philippines, allowed an intersex man to change his legal gender from female to male.
  Singapore   Yes Legal since 2022   No   No Ambiguous, a gay Singaporean man with a male partner in 2018 won an appeal in court to adopt a child that he fathered through a surrogate.[141]   Yes   Yes Protections against anti-gay discrimination, harassment and violence[142]   Yes Transgender people allowed to change legal gender, but only after sex reassignment surgery
  Thailand   Yes Legal since 1956
+ UN decl. sign.[24]
    Yes Pending for 2025[20][143][144]   Yes Pending for 2025[20]   Yes Since 2005 [145]   Yes Bans all anti-gay discrimination   No[143][146]

  Yes Anti-discrimination protections for gender expression.[127]

  Vietnam   Yes Legal[24]
+ UN decl. sign.[24]
  No   No   No LGBT individuals may adopt, not same-sex couples[147]   Yes Irrespective of one's sexual orientation   Yes Bans some anti-gay discrimination   Yes Gender changes recognized and officially practised since 2017[148][149]

See also

edit

Notes

edit
  1. ^ In Taiwan, gender change is not explicitly stated in any law; instead it is permitted by an executive order published by the Ministry of the Interior, which dictates that sex reassignment surgeries are required before gender change. In 2021 a judgement by the Taipei High Administrative Court[120] ruled that the executive order above was unconstitutional and therefore the defendant (district household registration office) must allow the plaintiff to change their gender. The judgement was finalized since the defendant did not appeal. However, since rulings in Taiwan are generally not precedential, said judgement only applies to the plaintiff and does not bind other cases nor the executive branch.
  2. ^ Except for the settlements Marawi and M'lang.

References

edit
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