LGBT rights in Albania
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Albania face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents, although LGBT people are protected under comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation. Both male and female same-gender sexual activities have been legal in Albania since 1995, but households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-gender couples, with same-sex unions not being recognized in the country in any form.
LGBT rights in Albania | |
|---|---|
| Status | Legal since 1995, age of consent equalized in 2001 |
| Gender identity | No |
| Military | Gays and lesbians are allowed to serve since 2008 |
| Discrimination protections | Sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics protections |
| Family rights | |
| Recognition of relationships | No recognition of same-sex couples |
| Adoption | - |
Albania, as a whole, is considered to be rather conservative, especially in public reactions regarding lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) rights and visibility of LGBT people; however, anti-discrimination legislation have made ILGA-Europe regard Albania as one of a very few countries in Europe which explicitly bans discrimination on the grounds of gender identity. Albania has ratified Protocol No. 12 to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms; moreover, Albania was a signatory to the 2007 UN Declaration on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.
In 2015, the association ILGA-Europe ranked Albania 19th in terms of LGBT rights out of 49 observed European countries. Meanwhile, on the latest report in 2022, lack of progress caused Albania to be ranked the 28th country in Europe, among 49 countries observed.