The abolition of marriage bans, laws that decriminalize homosexuality, Bangladesh’s first transgender mayor, the first openly gay cabinet member in the USA… Here are the achievements of LGBTI+ struggle in 2021!
2021 has been a year that witnessed the achievements of LGBTI+s in many countries. In many countries, from North America to Africa, from Asia to Europe, significant developments have been made regarding LGBTI+ rights.
Europe
In Turkey, the Constitutional Court ruled that requiring transgender people who want to change their name to undergo sex reassignment surgery is a “violation of rights.”
Switzerland became one of the last Western European countries to ratify same-sex marriage rights in September. With the change in the law, same-sex couples will be able to marry in official ceremonies and will have the same rights as other married couples.
France passed a law in June that makes it easier for same-sex women and single women to have children.
Asia
Bhutan, a small kingdom in the Himalayas, joined this year’s list of Asian countries to decriminalize homosexuality.
Bangladesh elected its first transgender mayor in 2021. Last November, Nazrul Islam Ritu was elected mayor of his hometown, Trilochanpur, a small town in the west of his country. An estimated 1.5 million transgender people live in Bangladesh, many of whom face discrimination and violence.
Nepal opened a third gender category for the first time in this year’s population census. Participants had the option to choose “others” in addition to male and female options.
North and Central America
U.S. President Joe Biden lifted the ban on service for transgender people in the military, repealing a regulation that previously allowed health insurance companies to reject gay and transgender people.
Biden also signed a decree committing to using American diplomacy and US foreign aid to protect LGBTI+ rights internationally. Jessica Stern has been appointed as the US special envoy for global LGBTI+ rights, previously left vacant by the Trump administration. Pete Buttigieg became the first openly gay cabinet member to be confirmed by the US Senate in February.
Canada has passed a bill officially banning conversion therapy. A widely rejected practice, conversion therapy aims to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
Costa Rica became the first Central American country to legalize same-sex marriage.
Africa
Botswana’s appeals court upheld the 2019 Supreme Court decision decriminalizing homosexuality in November.
In February, a new penal code came into force in Angola. The law repeals a 133-year-old clause outlawing same-sex relationships, dating from the time the country was a Portuguese colony.
South America
In early December, Chile passed a historic bill granting same-sex couples equal marriage rights.