LGBT rights in Kuwait
LGBT rights in Kuwait  | |
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| Status | Male illegal Female legal |
| Penalty | Jail time up to 10 Years |
| Gender identity | Transsexual persons not allowed to change legal gender Cross-dressing illegal |
| Part of a series on |
| Human rights in Kuwait |
|---|
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) persons in Kuwait may face challenges not experienced by non-LGBT Kuwaitis. Adult and consensual sexual acts between women are legal in Kuwait; however, male homosexual conduct is illegal.[1] Kuwaiti law does not recognize same-sex marriages.
Laws on homosexuality
- Article 193 of the Penal Code punishes homosexuality between men, over the age of 21, with up to six years imprisonment.[2] If the conduct involves persons under the age of 21, then imprisonment can be for a maximum of ten years.[3]
- Article 198 prohibits "imitating the appearance of a member of the opposite sex" with fines and or imprisonment [Human Rights Watch 17 January 2008].
- Adult and consensual sexual acts between women is legal in Kuwait.[1]
In February 2005 police charged a group of 28 alleged homosexuals with creating a public disturbance after they met outside a fast-food restaurant. On 27 October, police raided a party where homosexuals were allegedly celebrating a wedding.[4]
Laws against homosexuality in media
First enacted in 1961, the national law has several regulations that are used against LGBT themes.
- Article 26 bans the, "publication that violates public morality or persons' dignity or personal freedom...".[5]
- Article 37 gives the Office of Printing and Publications the power to ban the importation of publications that will harm "public morals" or the "sanctity of religions".[5]
In 2000, the Kuwaiti appeals court overturned the lowers court's criminal convictions against two female authors, whose books had touched upon homosexuality, but upheld the fines.[5]
Gender identity/expression
Before 2008, cross-dressing was legal in Kuwait. In 2008, cross-dressing in public became illegal.
In 2003, Kuwait's Civil Bench of the Court of First Instance dismissed the case of a 25-year-old woman who wanted to change her name on official documents after undergoing a sex-change operation in Thailand.[6] Although a year later, subsequent reports stated that it is possible for transgender persons in Kuwait to have their documents changed to reflect their surgery, provided that sufficient evidence exists that the person suffers from a rare medical condition.[7]
LGBT rights movement in Kuwait
In 2007, the Al Arabiya news service reported that a group of Kuwaitis had applied for a permit to form a new association that would stand up for the rights of LGBT Kuwaitis. All such interest groups or clubs have to be approved by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, which has not formally replied.[4]
HIV/AIDS issues
In 1988, the Kuwaiti Ministry of Public Health published a report on HIV infections in Kuwait,[8] especially the person's nationality, marital status and sexual orientation. In 2004 a United Nations report on HIV in Kuwait found that about six percent of known transmission cases were the result of unprotected sexual contact between men.[9]
In 1992, the Kuwaiti national assembly outlawed the knowing transmission of HIV to another person.[3]
Abuse of transgender people
US human rights report of Kuwait says that security forces have harassed, detained and sexually abused transgender person along with many other asians and non-gulf arabs.[10]
Living conditions
| Same-sex sexual activity legal | 
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| Equal age of consent |
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| Anti-discrimination laws in employment |
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| Anti-discrimination laws in the provision of goods and services |
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| Anti-discrimination laws in all other areas (incl. indirect discrimination, hate speech) |
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| Same-sex marriage(s) |
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| Recognition of same-sex couples |
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| Step-child adoption by same-sex couples |
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| Joint adoption by same-sex couples |
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| Gays and lesbians allowed to serve openly in the military |
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| Right to change legal gender |
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| Access to IVF for lesbians |
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| Commercial surrogacy for gay male couples |
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See also
References
- ^ a b http://www.gaylawnet.com/laws/kw.htm
- ^ "Sodomylaws.Org". Sodomylaws.Org. Retrieved 20 January 2011.
- ^ a b http://www.ilga.info/Information/Legal_survey/middle%20east/kuwait.htm
- ^ a b Name *. "Gay Equality Group Forms in Kuwait « Gays Without Borders". Gayswithoutborders.wordpress.com. Retrieved 20 January 2011.
- ^ a b c "Kuwait's First Periodic Report on Implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (July 2000)". Hrw.org. Retrieved 20 January 2011.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ http://www.globalgayz.com/country/Kuwait/view/KWT/gay-kuwait-news-and-reports#article2
- ^ "A survey for unrecognized HIV infection in a special STD clinic in Kuwait". Gateway.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 20 January 2011.
- ^ http://www.data.unaids.org/Publications/Fact-Sheets01/kuwait_en.pdf
- ^ http://www.arabtimesonline.com/NewsDetails/tabid/96/smid/414/ArticleID/204094/reftab/36/t/US-report-on-human-rights-in-Kuwait/Default.aspx
