LGBT rights in Kuwait
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LGBT rights in Kuwait  | |
|---|---|
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| Status | Illegal: Islamic Sharia Law is applied |
| Penalty | Not specifically outlawed, but prosecuted under the "debauchery" law with jail time up to 6 years |
| Part of a series on |
| Human rights in Kuwait |
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Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) persons in Kuwait face challenges not experienced by non-LGBT Kuwaitis. Homosexuality is not specifically outlawed but gay people can be prosecuted under the "debauchery" law.
Law
The penal code contains some general provisions against debauchery and immorality that can be used to punish LGBT people.
- Article 193 of the Penal Code punishes debauchery (which is interpreted by the courts to mean male homosexuality) with up to six years imprisonment.
- Article 198 prohibits public immorality. In 2008, the law was expanded to also outlaw "imitating the appearance of a member of the opposite sex" with fines and or imprisonment.[1]
HIV/AIDS issues
In 1988, the Kuwaiti Ministry of Public Health published a report on HIV infections in Kuwait,[2] 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.[3]
In 1992, the Kuwaiti national assembly outlawed the knowing transmission of HIV to another person.
Foreigners found to be infected with AIDS/HIV are deported, but Kuwaiti citizens who are infected are entitled to out patient medical care, organized by a specialized infectious disease hospital.
LGBT rights movement in Kuwait
No known association or charity exists in Kuwait to campaign for LGBT rights or organize educational and social events for the LGBT community.
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 never formally replied.
Summary table
| Same-sex sexual activity legal |  (Penalty: Fine or up to 6 years Imprisonment)
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| Equal age of consent |
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| Anti-discrimination laws in employment only |
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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 marriages |
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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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| MSMs allowed to donate blood |
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See also
References
- ^ http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/kuwait/cross-dressers-heads-shaved-in-kuwait-1.1880480
- ^ "A survey for unrecognized HIV infection in a special STD clinic in Kuwait". Gateway.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 20 January 2011.
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20070703224611/http://data.unaids.org/Publications/Fact-Sheets01/kuwait_en.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 3, 2007. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
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