LGBT rights in Europe
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights are widely diverse in Europe per country. 21 of the 36 countries that have legalised same-sex marriage worldwide are situated in Europe. A further 11 European countries have legalised civil unions or other forms of more limited recognition for same-sex couples.
LGBT rights in Europe | |
|---|---|
Same-sex marriage
Civil unions
Limited domestic recognition (cohabitation)
Limited foreign recognition (residency rights)
No recognition
Constitutional limit on marriage | |
| Status | Legal, with an equal age of consent, in all 51 states Legal, with an equal age of consent, in all 6 dependencies and other territories |
| Gender identity | Legal in 39 out of 51 states Legal in 3 out of 6 dependencies and other territories |
| Military | Allowed to serve openly in 40 out of 47 states having an army Allowed in all 6 dependencies and other territories |
| Discrimination protections | Protected in 44 out of 51 states Protected in all 6 dependencies and other territories |
| Family rights | |
| Recognition of relationships | Recognised in 29 out of 51 states Recognised in all 6 dependencies and other territories |
| Restrictions | Same-sex marriage constitutionally banned in 15 out of 51 states |
| Adoption | Legal in 22 out of 51 states Legal in 5 out of 6 dependencies and other territories |
Several European countries do not recognise any form of same-sex unions. Marriage is defined as a union solely between a man and a woman in the constitutions of Armenia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia and Ukraine. Of these, however, Croatia, Hungary, Latvia and Montenegro recognise same-sex partnerships. Same-sex marriage is unrecognised but not constitutionally banned in the constitutions of Albania, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Turkey, and Vatican City. Eastern Europe is generally seen as having fewer legal rights and protections, worse living conditions, and less supportive public opinion for LGBT people than that in Western Europe.
All European countries that allow marriage also allow joint adoption by same-sex couples. Of the countries that have civil unions only, none but Croatia and Liechtenstein allow joint adoption, and only Italy and San Marino allow step-parent adoption only.
In the 2011 UN General Assembly declaration for LGBT rights, state parties were given a chance to express their support, opposition or abstention on the topic. A majority of the European countries expressed their support, and only Kazakhstan expressed its opposition. State parties that expressed abstention were Azerbaijan, Belarus, Russia, and Turkey.
In December 2020, Hungary explicitly legally banned adoption for same-sex couples within its constitution, and in June 2021 the Hungarian parliament approved a law prohibiting the showing of "any content portraying or promoting sex reassignment or homosexuality" to minors, similar to the Russian "anti-gay propaganda" law. Thirteen EU member states condemned the law, calling it a breach of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.
The top three European countries in terms of LGBT equality according to ILGA-Europe are Malta, Belgium and Denmark. Western Europe is often regarded as being one of the most progressive regions in the world for LGBT people to live in.