LGBTQ rights in Iceland

LGBTQ rights in Iceland
Location of Iceland (dark green)

in Europe (dark grey)  –  [Legend]

StatusLegal since 1940,
age of consent equalized in 1992
Gender identityTransgender people allowed to change gender without surgery
MilitaryNo standing army
Discrimination protectionsSexual orientation and gender identity protections (see below)
Family rights
Recognition of relationshipsSame-sex marriage since 2010
AdoptionFull adoption rights since 2006

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) rights in Iceland rank among the highest in the world.[1][2][3] Icelandic culture is generally tolerant towards homosexuality and transgender individuals, and Reykjavík has a visible LGBT community.[4] Iceland ranked first on the Equaldex Equality Index in 2023, and second after Malta according to ILGA-Europe's 2024 LGBT rights ranking, indicating it is one of the safest nations for LGBT people in Europe.[1][5] Conversion therapy in Iceland has been illegal since 2023.

Same-sex couples have had equal access to adoption and IVF since 2006. In February 2009, a minority government took office, headed by Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, the world's first openly gay head of government in modern times. The Icelandic Parliament amended the country's marriage law on 11 June 2010 by a unanimous vote to define marriage as between two individuals, thereby making same-sex marriage legal. The law took effect on 27 June 2010.[6] Iceland was the ninth country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage, and among the first European countries to do so. In 2019, Iceland made gender-affirming healthcare accessible via informed consent.

  1. ^ a b Staff (1 January 2023). "LGBT Equality Index: The Most LGBT-Friendly Countries in the World". Equaldex. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference PinkNews was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Iceland". IGLTA. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  4. ^ Robert, Zoë; Bjarnason, Egill; Svala Arnarsdóttir, Eygló; Riley, Jeannie (March 2022). Experience Iceland (1st ed.). Lonely Planet. p. 247. ISBN 9781838694722. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  5. ^ "2024 RAINBOW MAP". ILGA-Europe. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  6. ^ "Iceland parliament votes for gay marriage | IceNews - Daily News". Archived from the original on 28 October 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2020.