LGBT Rights in Al Jahrah Governorate

Al Jahrah is governed by federal Kuwait law. Learn more
    Homosexuality
    ✖ Illegal (imprisonment as punishment)
    Gay Marriage
    ✖ Unrecognized
    Censorship
    ✖ State-enforced
    Changing Gender
    ✖ Illegal
    Gender-Affirming Care
    ✖ Banned
    Non-Binary Gender Recognition
    ✖ Not legally recognized
    Discrimination
    ✖ No protections
    Employment Discrimination
    ✖ No protections
    Housing Discrimination
    ✖ No protections
    Adoption
    N/A
    Intersex Infant Surgery
    Unknown
    Military
    ✖ Illegal
    Donating Blood
    ✖ Banned (indefinite deferral)
    Conversion Therapy
    ✖ Not banned
    Age of Consent
    N/A
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Public Opinion

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History

Homosexual activity in Al Jahrah

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Homosexual activity in Al Jahrah is illegal (imprisonment as punishment).

Current status
Since Jan 1, 1960
Illegal (imprisonment as punishment)
Article 193 of Kuwait's Penal Code explicitly prohibits male homosexual sex for up to seven years in prison.
For lesbians, there is no specific law criminalizing it, however it is still technically illegal. This is because in Kuwait you are not able to consent to sex unless you're married.
So, since gay marriage is not legal in Kuwait and you can't give consent until your married, lesbian sex is illegal.
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Same-sex marriage in Al Jahrah

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Same-sex marriage in Al Jahrah is unrecognized.

Current status
Unrecognized
Homosexual Activity is illegal in Kuwait, same-sex marriage is not possible as defined as imprisonment up to 5 years.
Sources:
hrw.org/world-report/2024/c…~:text=The%20penal%20code%20criminalizes%20adultery,to%20seven%20years%20in%20prison.
state.gov/reports/2022-coun…
humandignitytrust.org/count…
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Censorship of LGBT issues in Al Jahrah

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Censorship of LGBT issues in Al Jahrah is state-enforced.

Current status
Since Feb 16, 2022
State-enforced
The Kuwaiti Constitutional Court has overturned Article 198 of the Penal Code, which criminalized “imitation of the opposite sex”, because it violates Article 30 of the constitution that guarantees personal freedom. However, there's still censorship of LGBT issues under Article 21 of the Press and Publications Law (Law No. 3) (2006), which prohibits the publication of anything that would insult public morals. This law was extended to include online publications under the Law Regulating Electronic Media (Law No. 8) (2016). In August 2023, Kuwait banned the 'Barbie' movie, claiming it "promoted homosexuality." There is still prevalent deportations for transgender people they are defined as cross-dressers to police.
Sources:
amnesty.org/en/latest/news/…
latimes.com/entertainment-a…
web.archive.org/web/2022021…//www.cck.moj.gov.kw/ar/news/Pages/newsdetails.aspx?newsid=28
hrw.org/world-report/2024/c…~:text=The%20penal%20code%20criminalizes%20adultery,to%20seven%20years%20in%20prison.
timeskuwait.com/news/kuwait…
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Until Feb 16, 2022
Imprisonment as punishment
Mass arrests , people could be sent to deportation or imprisonment under public morality or Islamic Laws.

LGBT cinema also censored publicly.
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Right to change legal gender in Al Jahrah

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Right to change legal gender in Al Jahrah is illegal.

Current status
Illegal
Transgender people are still deported after removal of a penal code in 2007, that states article 198, which prohibited “imitating the opposite sex." is unconstitutional. HRW reported in 2022 that the Kuwait times published an article stating the police deported 3,000 transgender and gay people because they "imitated" the opposite sex
Sources:
nytimes.com/2022/02/16/worl…
hrw.org/world-report/2024/c…~:text=The%20penal%20code%20criminalizes%20adultery,to%20seven%20years%20in%20prison.
timeskuwait.com/news/kuwait…
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Gender-affirming care in Al Jahrah

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Gender-affirming care in Al Jahrah is banned.

Current status
Since Jan 1, 2007
Banned
Transgender people are still deported after removal of a penal code in 2007, that states article 198, which prohibited “imitating the opposite sex." is unconstitutional. HRW reported in 2022 that the Kuwait times published an article stating the police deported 3,000 transgender and gay people because they "imitated" the opposite sex.
Sources:
hrw.org/world-report/2024/c…~:text=The%20penal%20code%20criminalizes%20adultery,to%20seven%20years%20in%20prison.
state.gov/reports/2022-coun…
humandignitytrust.org/count…
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Legal recognition of non-binary gender in Al Jahrah

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Legal recognition of non-binary gender in Al Jahrah is not legally recognized.

Current status
Not legally recognized
In Kuwait, it is not possible to legally change one’s gender.
Sources:
Source possibly needed/Legal gender change is not possible
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LGBT discrimination in Al Jahrah

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LGBT discrimination in Al Jahrah is no protections.

Current status
No protections
Transgender people were deported in 2023 for "cross-dressing" this also included gay men, no laws specifically protect LGBTQ discrimination.
Sources:
hrw.org/world-report/2024/c…~:text=The%20penal%20code%20criminalizes%20adultery,to%20seven%20years%20in%20prison.
timeskuwait.com/news/kuwait…
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LGBT employment discrimination in Al Jahrah

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LGBT employment discrimination in Al Jahrah is no protections.

Current status
No protections
There are no laws on LGBTQ employment discrimination, however women are protected.

LGBT housing discrimination in Al Jahrah

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LGBT housing discrimination in Al Jahrah is no protections.

Current status
No protections
There are no known laws for LGBT housing discrimination
Sources:
please see also LGBT Discrimination
state.gov/reports/2022-coun… (2022 State report newer one has been published)
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Same-sex adoption in Al Jahrah

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Same-sex adoption in Al Jahrah is n/a.

Current status
N/A
Adoption is not legal for anyone in Kuwait, Article 190, 209 prohibits such.
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Intersex infant surgery in Al Jahrah

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Intersex infant surgery in Al Jahrah is unknown.

Current status
Unknown

Serving openly in military in Al Jahrah

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Serving openly in military in Al Jahrah is illegal.

Current status
Illegal
Homosexual Activity at any compacity is illegal and punishable up to 5 years in prison. Transgender people are still actively discriminated against, in 2023, over 3,000 were deported due to "cross-dressing". This also included gay men.
Sources:
See homosexual activity
timeskuwait.com/news/kuwait…
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Blood donations by MSMs in Al Jahrah

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Blood donations by MSMs in Al Jahrah is banned (indefinite deferral).

Current status
Banned (indefinite deferral)
Homosexual activity is illegal in Kuwait, it is not possible to donate MSM.
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Conversion therapy in Al Jahrah

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Conversion therapy in Al Jahrah is not banned.

Current status
Not banned
There are no known laws banning conversion therapy in Kuwait.
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Equal age of consent in Al Jahrah

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Equal age of consent in Al Jahrah is n/a.

Current status
N/A
Homosexual activity is illegal in Kuwait, there are no known equal laws in Kuwait, sex out of marriage is illegal
Sources:
web.archive.org/web/2015103…//www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/0/2f5665ae20b956cb8025675a0033cafb?Opendocument
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