LGBT rights in Finland
| LGBT rights in Finland | |
|---|---|
![Location of Finland (dark green)– in Europe (light green & dark grey)– in the European Union (light green) — [Legend]](/wiki/File:EU-Finland.svg) Location of Finland (dark green)
– in Europe (light green & dark grey) |
|
| Same-sex sexual activity legal? | Legal since 1971, age of consent equalized in 1999 |
| Gender identity/expression | Transsexual persons allowed to change legal gender |
| Military service | Gays and lesbians allowed to serve openly |
| Family rights | |
| Recognition of relationships |
Registered partnerships since 2002 |
In Finland, homosexuality has been legal since 1971 and declassified as an illness in 1981.[1] Discrimination based on sexual orientation was criminalized in 1995 and discrimination based on gender identity in 2005. Transvestism was declassified as an illness in 2011.
Finland legalized registered partnerships in 2002.[1] In an August 2010 survey with 1,005 respondents, 54 % of Finns supported and 35 % opposed same-sex marriages, i.e. giving same-sex couples the right to adopt a non-biological child and giving the other partner the right to take his or her spouse's last name.[2] Based on support by five of the eight parties in the Parliament elected in 2007,[3][4][5][6][7] it was considered possible that same-sex marriage would be legalized after the 2011 parliamentary elections, where it was speculated to turn into one major theme,[7] though in the August 2010 survey, only 20 % of the respondents said the issue should be a major theme.[2] According to the voting advice application of Helsingin Sanomat, 90 MPs of the current 200-seat Parliament elected in April 2011 supported the inclusion of external adoption in same-sex couples' rights, while 93 MPs opposed it.[8] As a result of the Christian Democratic participation in the new government—the Christian Democrats' chairperson Päivi Räsänen became the Minister of the Interior,[9]—a bill legalizing same-sex marriage was not included in the government platform.[10] However, according to the Left Alliance, it was agreed upon during the talks on government formation that, if proposed by an individual MP, such bill would be endorsed by all the six parties except for the Christian Democrats (the National Coalition, Social Democrats, Left Alliance, Green League and Swedish People's Party).[11] A gay rights panel discussion aired on YLE2 on October 12, 2010, was followed by an unprecedentedly high number of people leaving the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland through a website.[12][13]
The 2000s has also seen events counter-productive to the LGBT movement—major cases include e.g. the much-publicized 2008 dismissal of openly lesbian editor-in-chief Johanna Korhonen and the resignation of Vicar of Imatra parish, Marja-Sisko Aalto who started a hormone treatment in 2008 in order to undergo a sex reassignment. Furthermore, during the summer of 2010—with the pepper spray attack against Helsinki pride parade and the attack on the office of HeSeta, a local branch of SETA—LGBT rights came under heavy debate in the Finnish media.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Summary table
| Introduction | Date | Year | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homosexuality legal |  |
1971 | ||||
| Homosexuality declassified as an illness | |
1981 | ||||
| Homosexuals allowed to serve in the military | |
1981 | ||||
| Anti-discrimination laws in all areas (incl. hate speech) | |
1995 | ||||
| Equal age of consent | |
1999 | ||||
| Right to change legal gender | |
2002 | ||||
| Anti-discrimination laws covering gender identity in all areas | |
2005 | ||||
| Transvestism declassified as an illness | |
2011 | ||||
| MSMs allowed to donate blood |  |
|||||
| Commercial surrogacy for gay male couples | |
|||||
| Same-sex marriages (based on civil marriages) |
||||||
| Registered partnership |
All economic aspects: inheritance, prenuptial agreement etc. |
|
2002 | (Under Consideration) |
||
| Access to IVF for lesbian couples |
|
2006 | ||||
| Step-child adoption | |
2009 | ||||
| Joint adoption | (Under Consideration) |
|||||
| Joint last name | (Under Consideration) |
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| Same-sex marriages performed or blessed by Church of Finland | |
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[edit] See also
- Registered partnership in Finland
- SETA (organization) – main LGBT rights group in Finland
- Human rights in Finland
- LGBT rights in Europe
- Homoilta
[edit] References
- Note: English not being an official language in Finland, the English translations of Finnish legislation at finlex.fi[14] are unofficial, though used by the Finnish Ministry of Justice.
- ^ a b "Milestones – Finnish LGBT History in a Nutshell" (in Finnish). Seksuaalinen tasavertaisuus ry. http://www.seta.fi/index.php?k=16474&hakustr=historia#a_16474. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
- ^ a b "Survey: Majority Favour Gender Neutral Marriage Law". Finnish Broadcasting Company. August 21, 2010. http://www.yle.fi/uutiset/news/2010/08/survey_majority_favour_gender_neutral_marriage_law_1921086.html. Retrieved July 7, 2011.
- ^ "National Coalition: Marriage Law to Be Made Gender-Neutral" (in Finnish). MTV3. July 13, 2010. http://www.mtv3.fi/uutiset/kotimaa.shtml/arkistot/kotimaa/2010/06/1142720. Retrieved June 29, 2010.
- ^ Social Democratic Party of Finland. "Politics from A to Z" (in Finnish). http://sdp.fi/politiikka/a-%C3%B6. Retrieved June 29, 2010.
- ^ Green League (May 23, 2010). "Green Mission 2010—2014 – Political Platform" (in Finnish). http://www.vihreat.fi/poliittinenohjelma#31. Retrieved June 29, 2010.
- ^ Left Alliance (June 20, 2010). "Riches Grows by Sharing – Goals of Left Alliance for 2010—2015 – adopted at the 6th Left Alliance Assembly on June 20, 2010, in Jyväskylä" (in Finnish). http://www.vasemmisto.fi/politiikka/1348. Retrieved June 29, 2010.
- ^ a b "Marriage Act and Religion Heat up Rising Election Debate" (in Finnish). Helsingin Sanomat. Helsingin Sanomat. July 17, 2010. http://www.hs.fi/politiikka/artikkeli/Avioliittolaki+ja+uskonto+kuumentavat+alkavaa+vaalitaistoa+/1135258640022/?cmp=tm_etu_luetuimmat_uutiset. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
- ^ Hämäläinen, Marko; Rokka, Jussi (April 25, 2011). "Homoparien ulkopuolinen adoptio jakaa uuden eduskunnan" (in Finnish). Helsingin Sanomat. Sanoma News. http://www.hs.fi/politiikka/artikkeli/Homoparien+ulkopuolinen+adoptio+jakaa+uuden+eduskunnan/1135265642416. Retrieved July 7, 2011.
- ^ "Ms Päivi Räsänen is the New Minister of the Interior". Ministry of the Interior. June 22, 2011. http://www.intermin.fi/intermin/home.nsf/pages/C135691B2BE5D763C22578B700494D5A?OpenDocument. Retrieved July 7, 2011.
- ^ "Neuvottelutulos hallitusohjelmasta" (in Finnish) (pdf). Cabinet of Finland. June 17, 2011. http://www.valtioneuvosto.fi/tiedostot/julkinen/hallitusneuvottelut-2011/neuvottelutulos/fi.pdf. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
- ^ "Sukupuolineutraalia avioliittolakia ei hallitusohjelmaan" (in Finnish). Finnish Broadcasting Company. June 17, 2011. http://www.yle.fi/uutiset/teemat/vaalit_2011/2011/06/sukupuolineutraalia_avioliittolakia_ei_hallitusohjelmaan_2671537.html. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
- ^ "Statistical Data" (in Finnish). eroakirkosta.fi. http://www.eroakirkosta.fi/media/tilastot. Retrieved July 7, 2011.
- ^ "Resignations from Church Today" (in Finnish). eroakirkosta.fi. http://www.eroakirkosta.fi/static/ek-tilastot/. Retrieved July 7, 2010.
- ^ Ministry of Justice. "Database of Finnish legislation". http://www.finlex.fi. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
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