File:Countries-protecting-core-lgbt-rights.svg

English: In dozens of countries, core LGBT+ rights have become protected

LGBT+ people don’t just want to live free from fear of being prosecuted for their same-sex relationships. Many also want to marry, adopt children with their partner, and some want their government to recognize their transgender or non-binary identity.

The chart, adding data from Equaldex, shows until the 1990s, no countries protected LGBT+ rights beyond allowing same-sex sexual acts. This has only changed in the last few decades.

Estonia was the first country to allow a gender marker change without restrictions in 1992, and a few dozen countries have done the same in subsequent years.1

Canada was the first country to allow joint adoptions in 1995, and more than thirty countries have followed since then.

The same goes for same-sex marriage, which the Netherlands first legalized in 2001.

Finally, in 2011, Australia became the first country to recognize a non-binary gender on its passports. Since then, several other countries have legally recognized third genders.

Again, when we look at the number of people living in countries that protect these core rights, the trends for same-sex marriage, adoption, and gender marker changes are similar. The trend for third-gender recognition looks even better, thanks to India and Pakistan recently recognizing a third gender.