How to Check if Your Country Has LGBTQ Protection Laws and How to Use Them

So you got turned down for an apartment after mentioning your same-sex partner. Or you were fired from your job, and you suspect your orientation was the reason. Or you want to understand if you can officially change your documents. The first question that comes up: “What does the law even say?” And that’s where the quest begins.

The problem is that legal information is often buried in the thickets of legalese, scattered across different sources, or simply unavailable in a convenient format. In this article, we’ll figure out how to find the data you need, understand it, and apply it – without a law degree and without unnecessary headaches.

What Types of Legal Protection Exist

Let’s start with the basics: laws affecting LGBTQ people can be divided into several categories. Understanding this structure will help you search for exactly what you need.

Anti-discrimination laws – this is the foundation. They prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in employment, education, healthcare, and service provision. In some countries (like Canada or the UK) these laws are quite detailed and include specific protection mechanisms. In others – they only exist on paper.

Marriage and partnership laws – this one’s straightforward: can a same-sex couple officially register their relationship. There are countries with full marriage (Spain, Netherlands, Argentina), those with civil partnerships (Italy, Czech Republic), and those where it’s explicitly banned by the constitution (Poland, Ukraine).

Gender recognition laws – regulate the process of changing documents for transgender people. Somewhere (Argentina, Malta) it’s done by application without medical certificates, somewhere diagnoses, surgeries, and court decisions are required, and somewhere it’s simply not legally possible.

Hate crime laws – increase punishment for crimes committed based on homophobia or transphobia. This matters: if you were assaulted not just randomly, but specifically because of your identity, the punishment for your attackers can be more severe.

Adoption and parenting laws – who can adopt children, who automatically becomes a parent when a child is born to a same-sex couple. In Scandinavia this works without problems, in Eastern Europe – almost nowhere.

Prohibitive laws – yes, in some countries there are laws that don’t protect, but do the opposite. “Propaganda of homosexuality” in Russia, criminal liability for same-sex relations in 70+ countries worldwide (mostly Africa, Middle East, parts of Asia). You need to know this too for risk assessment.

Where to Look for Information About Laws

Now for specifics: where to dig to find current information.

ILGA World (ilga.org) – an international association of LGBTQ organizations that publishes annual maps of laws worldwide. They have State-Sponsored Homophobia and World Legal Maps databases where you can check the situation in any country. Information is regularly updated, with breakdowns by category.

Equaldex (equaldex.com) – a wiki-like resource with collected information about LGBTQ rights in different countries. Convenient: there’s a timeline of legal changes, you can compare countries. Plus – anyone can suggest information updates with sources.

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International – major human rights organizations that publish reports on the human rights situation, including LGBTQ rights. Their materials are useful if you need to understand not just the letter of the law, but the actual enforcement practice.

Local LGBTQ organizations – in every country where there’s any kind of movement, NGOs are working. They often publish legal guides in local languages and provide consultations. Google “[country name] LGBT NGO” or “[country name] LGBTQ rights organization”. In Russia, for example, it’s “Vykhod” (operates from abroad), in Poland – Kampania Przeciw Homofobii, in Turkey – Kaos GL.

National legal databases – if you know what to look for, you can go straight to the legislation. In EU countries it’s EUR-Lex, in the USA – Congress.gov, in post-Soviet countries there are often official legal databases. But here you already need to understand legal structure and terminology.

Reddit and specialized forums – yes, seriously. Subreddits like r/lgbt, r/asktransgender, or local communities often contain current information from people who actually went through legal processes. Just verify everything through official sources.

How to Interpret Laws in Plain Language

Legal texts aren’t written for ordinary people – that’s a fact. But there are a few tricks that will help you extract the information you need.

Look for keywords: “sexual orientation”, “gender identity”, “discrimination”, “equal treatment”, “marriage”, “partnership”. If these terms are mentioned in an anti-discrimination law – that’s a good sign. If they’re absent – protection might not exist.

Pay attention to exceptions: often protection exists, but with caveats. For example, “discrimination based on sexual orientation is prohibited, except for religious organizations”. This means a church can refuse to employ you, and it’ll be legal.

Look at protection mechanisms: a law might prohibit something, but if it doesn’t specify where to go and what sanctions will follow – it’s a declaration without teeth. Look for phrases about “compensation”, “fines”, “authorized bodies”.

Use the comparative method: see how a similar law works in a neighboring country or in a country with a similar legal system. This provides context.

Translate legal language: “persons in same-sex relationships” = gays and lesbians; “persons experiencing gender transition” = transgender people. Sounds obvious, but it’s easy to get confused in legal text.

If it’s completely unclear – look for commentaries on the law. Lawyers and human rights advocates often write breakdowns in accessible form. Google the law’s name + “explainer” or “analysis”.

What to Do if Your Rights Are Violated

Now the most important part: you found a law that protects you, but your rights were violated anyway. What next?

Step 1: Document everything. Save correspondence, take screenshots, record dates and names. If there was verbal communication – immediately write down who said what. Witnesses? Great, record their contacts. This is the foundation for any complaint.

Step 2: Try to resolve the issue directly. Sometimes writing a letter to the employer/landlord/whoever with reference to a specific law and a request to fix the situation works. Many prefer to resolve things quietly rather than deal with complaints.

Step 3: Contact supervisory bodies. In most countries there are institutions that deal with discrimination: ombudsmen, equality commissions, labor inspectorates. In the EU these are equality bodies, in the USA – Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Their job is to investigate complaints and apply sanctions.

Step 4: Connect with LGBTQ organizations. They can provide free legal consultation, and sometimes court representation. Many NGOs have legal aid programs.

Step 5: Consider a lawsuit. This is a last resort, long and often expensive, but sometimes necessary. If it comes to court – you can’t do without a lawyer.

Realistic expectations: even if the law is on your side, the process can take months or years. Even in countries with good protection, winning isn’t guaranteed. Assess your resources – time, financial, emotional – before starting.

Safety first: in some countries openly defending your rights can be dangerous. If you’re in such a situation – priority is your safety, not fighting the system.

Online Resources for Checking Current Information

Let’s compile everything into a convenient list with brief descriptions:

• ILGA World (ilga.org) – global law maps, regional reports
• Equaldex (equaldex.com) – comparative database with timelines
• Human Rights Watch (hrw.org) – law enforcement reports
• Amnesty International (amnesty.org) – similar to HRW
• Transgender Europe (tgeu.org) – specializes in trans rights
• OutRight Action International (outrightinternational.org) – human rights work worldwide
• Rainbow Europe (rainbow-europe.org) – map and ranking of LGBTQ rights in Europe from ILGA-Europe
• Freedom House (freedomhouse.org) – freedom indices with LGBTQ section
• UN Free & Equal (unfe.org) – UN campaign for LGBTQ rights, basic information

Bookmark 2-3 resources from this list and check for updates every few months. Laws change – sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.

Why Knowing Your Rights Gives You Power

Here’s the truth: in an ideal world, nobody would have to study laws just to live peacefully. But we live in a world where rights need to be known and defended.

Knowing the law isn’t some abstract “power” from motivational posters. It’s a concrete tool. When you know the law is on your side, you can speak more confidently, demand what you’re entitled to, not fall for manipulation. When you understand there’s no law or it’s against you – you can assess risks and make an informed decision about your safety.

Besides, information makes you less vulnerable. Discrimination often works on ignorance: “we can refuse you”, “that’s how it is”, “the law forbids it”. Checking these claims is the first line of defense.

And finally, the more people know their rights, the harder they are to ignore. Every complaint, every appeal, every court case – is pressure on the system. Yes, slow, yes, not always successful. But without this, nothing changes.

So study the laws, use the resources, seek help. And remember: the right to dignity doesn’t depend on what’s written in law. But the law can help you defend that right.