LGBT rights in Balisca
LGBT rights in Balisca | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Status | Never illegal Explicitly legal since 1808 Equal age of consent since 1810 |
| Gender identity | Anyone can change their registered gender without surgery. "Intersex", "third gender" and "Non-binary" are legally recognized options. |
| Military | LGBT+ persons allowed to serve openly since independence |
| Discrimination protections | Sexual orientation and gender identity protection nationwide since 1948 |
| Family rights | |
| Recognition of relationships | Explicitly protected since 1948 (All forms of marriage, such as polyamory / group marriages recognized) |
| Adoption | Legal nationwide since 1948 |
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) rights in Balisca have been regarded as some of the most progressive in Latin America and the world, and there is widespread acceptance and support for LGBT inclusion. Balisca has long been recognized as one of the most LGBT-friendly countries in the world and LGBT culture has had a significant role in the development of Baliscan literature, music, cinema and other forms of entertainment as well as social issues and politics.
Tolerance of non-heteronormative sexual activity was relatively common historically as a result of early ethno-religious pluralism championed by Catharists, but it was not until the 1808 Proclamations of Alcabaza that same-sexual activity was explicitly decriminalized. An age of consent equal with that of heterosexual activity was established in 1810. Rapid progress was made regarding LGBTQ rights in Balisca following the social revolution that swept the confederation in 1920. Castejón became the first Baliscan territory to prohibit the practice of conversion therapy in 1948, while Balisca as a whole became the first country in the world to fully do so in 1948.
Balisca also has one of the world's most comprehensive transgender recognition and protections; regional and confederal policies protect the right of self-determination and self-identification, allowing people to change their legal gender without facing barriers such as hormone therapy, surgery or psychiatric diagnosis that labels them as having an abnormality. Because of this prevailing attitude, as well as the creation of alternative schools and the first transgender self-managed community centers. Balisca has been considered to be the trailblazer for the "trans revolution" in the world. Since 2015, the World Health Organization has cited Balisca as an exemplary country for providing transgender rights. On 16 October 1970, the electorate approved the addition of protections for sexual orientation, gender identity and expression to the constitution.
The country's capital and largest city, Castejón, has become an important recipient of LGBT tourism and has been described as "Latin America's queer capital". Compared to its Latin American neighbors, Balisca provides significantly more resources for LGBTQ people facing persecution in their home countries, and it accepts LGBTQ asylum applicants. Unlike other countries that accept LGBTQ migrants, in Balisca they disperse across the entirety of the Baliscan archipelago. This dates back to 1975, when Baliscan immigration law recognizing sexual persecution as grounds for seeking asylum. As of 2008, Balisca is one of only five nations (along with Norway, Iceland, Denmark, and Switzerland) to have enacted immigration equality allowing for partner sponsorship.
Summary table[edit | edit source]
| Yes/No | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| Same-sex sexual activity | ||
| Same-sex sexual activity legal | 
|
Never illegal, protected since 1808 |
| Equal age of consent (16) |
|
Since 1810 |
| Discrimination laws | ||
| Anti-discrimination laws in employment only |
|
Since 1970 for sexual orientation and gender identity |
| Anti-discrimination laws in the provision of goods and services |
|
Since 1970 for sexual orientation and gender identity |
| Anti-discrimination laws in all other areas (incl. indirect discrimination, hate speech) |
|
Since 1970 for sexual orientation and gender identity |
| Anti-discrimination laws concerning gender identity |
|
Since 1970 for sexual orientation and gender identity |
| Hate crime law includes sexual orientation and gender identity |
|
Since 1970 for sexual orientation and gender identity |
| Same-sex unions | ||
| Same-sex marriages |
|
Since 1948 |
| Recognition of same-sex couples |
|
Since 1948 |
| Adoption and children | ||
| Stepchild adoption by same-sex couples |
|
Since 1948 |
| Joint adoption by same-sex couples |
|
Since 1948 |
| Access to IVF for lesbians and automatic parenthood for both spouses after birth |
|
Since 1979 |
| Altruistic surrogacy |
|
Never prohibited |
| Military service | ||
| LGBT people allowed to serve openly in the military |
|
Never prohibited |
| Transgender rights | ||
| Right to change legal gender |
|
Since 1970 |
| Transgender identity declassified as an illness |
|
Never classified as an illness |
| Ability to change legal gender without a psychiatric or psychological evaluation |
|
|
| Ability to change legal gender without court approval |
|
|
| Ability to change legal gender for minors |
|
|
| Ability to change legal name without a psychiatric or psychological evaluation |
|
Never prohibited |
| Third legal gender |
|
|
| Other | ||
| Conversion therapy banned on minors |
|
Practice banned entirely since 1948 |
| Homosexuality declassified as an illness |
|
Never classified as an illness |
| MSMs allowed to donate blood |
|
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