Homosexuality
    ✔ Legal
    Gay Marriage
    ✖ Unrecognized
    Censorship
    ✔ No censorship
    Changing Gender
    ✖ Legal, but requires surgery
    Gender-Affirming Care
    ✖ Restricted
    Non-Binary Gender Recognition
    ✖ Not legally recognized
    Discrimination
    ✖ No protections
    Employment Discrimination
    ✖ No protections
    Housing Discrimination
    ✖ No protections
    Adoption
    Ambiguous
    Intersex Infant Surgery
    Unknown
    Military
    Ambiguous
    Donating Blood
    ✔ Legal
    Conversion Therapy
    ✖ Not banned
    Age of Consent
    ✔ Equal
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Public Opinion

In Laos, public opinion seems to reflect a lack of acceptance or understanding of the LGBTQ+ community, but please note that is based on a small number of surveys available in Laos.

Laos is lacking public opinion data.

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History

Homosexual activity in Laos

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Homosexual activity in Laos is legal.

Current status
Since Jan 9, 1990
Legal
Homosexual activity has never been illegal in Laos. The penal code for the current political system was not drafted until the 1990 (37 years after the country gained independence).
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Same-sex marriage in Laos

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Same-sex marriage in Laos is unrecognized.

Current status
Since Nov 29, 1990
Unrecognized
Article 1 of the marriage law defines marriage to be a union between a man and a woman. Laos has not introduced any specific legislation around marriage equality for same-sex couples.
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Censorship of LGBT issues in Laos

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Censorship of LGBT issues in Laos is no censorship.

Current status
No censorship
In Laos, there are no laws restricting the discussion or promotion of LGBTQ+ topics.
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Right to change legal gender in Laos

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Right to change legal gender in Laos is legal, but requires surgery.

Current status
Since Jun 18, 2009
Legal, but requires surgery
Laos legalized changing gender in 2009 but there is no protection laws.
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Gender-affirming care in Laos

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Gender-affirming care in Laos is restricted.

Current status
Since 2009
Restricted
In 2009, Laos legalized sterilization, which de facto meant legalizing sex reassignment surgery, however, medical records regarding transsexualism had to be obtained abroad.
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Legal recognition of non-binary gender in Laos

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

Current status
Not legally recognized
Laos does not legally recognize a non-binary gender.
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LGBT discrimination in Laos

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LGBT discrimination in Laos is no protections.

Current status
Since Oct 22, 1953
No protections
The constitution does not explicitly cover sexual orientations and gender identities in protection against discrimination
Sources:
ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/@ed_protect/@protrav/@ilo_aids/documents/legaldocument/wcms_117348.pdf
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LGBT employment discrimination in Laos

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LGBT employment discrimination in Laos is no protections.

Current status
Since Oct 22, 1953
No protections
No information on this.
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LGBT housing discrimination in Laos

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LGBT housing discrimination in Laos is no protections.

Current status
Since Oct 22, 1953
No protections
They have no protections in laos.
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Same-sex adoption in Laos

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Same-sex adoption in Laos is ambiguous.

Current status
Since Dec 24, 1990
Ambiguous
The Lao family law states in article 38 that people who have "inappropriate behaviours" or those who have had their parental rights withdrawn may not adopt children. However, LGBT is not explicitly covered in the way this law is written so the result is ambiguous.
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Intersex infant surgery in Laos

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Intersex infant surgery in Laos is unknown.

Current status
Unknown

Serving openly in military in Laos

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Serving openly in military in Laos is ambiguous.

Current status
Since Jan 1, 2012
Ambiguous
No laws restricting or allowing MSM to donate blood.
Sources:
web.archive.org/web/2009022…//www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2008/eap/119045.htm
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Blood donations by MSMs in Laos

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Blood donations by MSMs in Laos is legal.

Current status
Legal
No laws resticting MSM to donate blood.
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Conversion therapy in Laos

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Conversion therapy in Laos is not banned.

Current status
Not banned
According to the ILGA World, there's no ban on conversion therapy in Laos.
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Equal age of consent in Laos

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Equal age of consent in Laos is equal.

Current status
Equal
No laws have ever existed for this.
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