Homosexuality
    ⚢
    ✔ Legal
    Gay Marriage
    ⚭
    ✖ Unrecognized
    Censorship
    ✔ No censorship
    Changing Gender
    Ambiguous
    Gender-Affirming Care
    ✖ Restricted
    Non-Binary Gender Recognition
    ✖ Not legally recognized
    Discrimination
    ✖ No protections
    Employment Discrimination
    ✖ No protections
    Housing Discrimination
    ✖ No protections
    Adoption
    ✖ Illegal
    Intersex Infant Surgery
    Unknown
    Military
    ✖ Lesbians, gays, bisexuals permitted, transgender people banned
    Donating Blood
    ✔ Legal
    Conversion Therapy
    ✖ Not banned
    Age of Consent
    ✔ Equal
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Public Opinion

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Research in attittudes towards LGBTQ+ issues in Lesotho have identified a strong opposition to LGBTQ+ rights, reflecting underlying homophobic sentiments.

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History

Homosexual activity in Lesotho

?

Homosexual activity in Lesotho is legal.

Current status
Since Mar 9, 2012
Legal
The Penal Code Act of 2010 decriminalized homosexuality.
Details
Sources:
lesotholii.org/ls/legislati…
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1884–Mar 9, 2012
Male illegal, female legal
The Roman-Dutch law of the Cape Colony, including the sodomy offence, was applied to Basutoland (as Lesotho was then known) by a proclamation of the British High Commissioner in 1884 (exact date unknown).
Details
Sources:
ilga.org/ilga/en/countries/…
lib.ohchr.org/HRBodies/UPR/…
jstor.org/stable/23245418 (page 164-165)
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Same-sex marriage in Lesotho

?

Same-sex marriage in Lesotho is unrecognized.

Current status
Since Oct 4, 1966
Unrecognized
The common law definition of marriage is “a union of one man with one woman, to the exclusion, while it lasts, of all others”
Details
Sources:
lib.ohchr.org/HRBodies/UPR/…
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Censorship of LGBT issues in Lesotho

?

Censorship of LGBT issues in Lesotho is no censorship.

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

?

Right to change legal gender in Lesotho is ambiguous.

Current status
Ambiguous
May possibly change gender under the National Identity Cards Act 9 of 2011.

According to amendment of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, the Ministry of Home Affairs must amend the national register to provide for persons who have undergone “sex change operations” to change their “sex” identity marker on legal and identifying documents.
Details
Sources:
state.gov/reports/2022-coun…

southernafricalitigationcen…
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Gender-affirming care in Lesotho

?

Gender-affirming care in Lesotho is restricted.

Current status
Since 1994
Restricted
In 1994, Lesotho legalized sterilization, which de facto meant legalizing sex reassignment surgery, however, medical records regarding transsexualism had to be obtained abroad.
Details
Sources:
rhsupplies.org/uploads/tx_r…
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Legal recognition of non-binary gender in Lesotho

?

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

Current status
Not legally recognized
Non-binary identities are not legally recognized in Lesotho.
Details
Sources:
database.ilga.org/lesotho-lgbti
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LGBT discrimination in Lesotho

?

LGBT discrimination in Lesotho is no protections.

Current status
No protections
There are no protections in Lesotho based on discrimination.
Details
Sources:
database.ilga.org/lesotho-lgbti
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LGBT employment discrimination in Lesotho

?

LGBT employment discrimination in Lesotho is no protections.

Current status
Since Mar 9, 2012
No protections
high discrimination from the aids epidemic. Discrimination protections pending.
Details
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LGBT housing discrimination in Lesotho

?

LGBT housing discrimination in Lesotho is no protections.

Current status
No protections
No protections
Details
Sources:
database.ilga.org/lesotho-lgbti
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Same-sex adoption in Lesotho

?

Same-sex adoption in Lesotho is illegal.

Current status
Since Oct 4, 1966
Illegal
Single males and same-sex couples cannot adopt
Details
Sources:
lib.ohchr.org/HRBodies/UPR/…
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Intersex infant surgery in Lesotho

?

Intersex infant surgery in Lesotho is unknown.

Current status
Unknown

Serving openly in military in Lesotho

?

Serving openly in military in Lesotho is lesbians, gays, bisexuals permitted, transgender people banned.

Current status
Lesbians, gays, bisexuals permitted, transgender people banned
Not a single country in Africa allows trans military service .
Details
Sources:
cbc.ca/news/world/countries…
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Blood donations by MSMs in Lesotho

?

Blood donations by MSMs in Lesotho is legal.

Current status
Legal
In all of Africa.
Details
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Conversion therapy in Lesotho

?

Conversion therapy in Lesotho is not banned.

Current status
Not banned
According to the ILGA World, there's no ban on conversion therapy in Lesotho.
Details
Sources:
ilga.org/downloads/ILGA_Wor… (page 325)
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Equal age of consent in Lesotho

?

Equal age of consent in Lesotho is equal.

Current status
Since Jan 1, 2012
Equal
when they decriminalized homosexuality.
Details
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LGBT Rights by District

View the LGBT laws in each individual district of Lesotho.

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