- Homosexuality
- ⚢✔ Legal
- Gay Marriage
- ⚭✖ Banned
- Censorship
- Varies by Region
- Changing Gender
- ✖ Legal, but requires medical diagnosis
- Gender-Affirming Care
- ✔ Legal
- Non-Binary Gender Recognition
- ✖ Not legally recognized
- Discrimination
- ✔ Illegal
- Employment Discrimination
- ✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity
- Housing Discrimination
- Unknown
- Adoption
- ✔ Legal
- Intersex Infant Surgery
- ✖ Not banned
- Military
- ✖ Lesbians, gays, bisexuals permitted, transgender people banned
- Donating Blood
- ✖ Banned (indefinite deferral)
- Conversion Therapy
- ✖ Not banned
- Age of Consent
- ✔ Equal
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Public Opinion
Recent public opinion surveys in Moldova have pointed to a persistence of extremely homophobic attitudes, causing deep concern.
OPPOSE
SUPPORT
History
Homosexual activity in Moldova is legal.
Current status
Since 1995
Legal
Homosexuality is not illegal in Moldova.
Male illegal, female legal
An article under which sodomy was punishable by imprisonment from 5 to 8 years appeared in the Soviet Criminal Code on March 7, 1934 - number 154-a: “Sexual intercourse between a man and a man (sodomy) - imprisonment for a term of three to five years. Sodomy committed with the use of violence or taking advantage of the dependent position of the victim - imprisonment for a term of five to eight years."
Censorship of LGBT issues in Moldova is varies by region.
Current status
Since May 26, 2022
Varies by Region
In 2022, Gagauzia passed a motion prohibiting media from reporting on LGBTIQ+ topics. The rest of Moldova has no such laws however.
No censorship
- Stînga Nistrului, unitatea teritoriala din 2013
- Anenii Noi 2013
- Basarabeasca 2013
- Briceni 2013
- Bălţi 2013
- Cahul 2013
- Cantemir 2013
- Chisinau 2013
- Cimişlia 2013
- Criuleni 2013
- Călăraşi 2013
- Căuşeni 2013
- Donduşeni 2013
- Drochia 2013
- Dubăsari 2013
- 21 more
State-enforced
Imprisonment as punishment
- Transnistria 2024
Fine as punishment
In 2013, Moldova secretly passed a law banning "propaganda of intimate relations outside of marriage and family" to minors with a fine as punishment. Although the law did not explicitly mention homosexuality, as gay marriage is not provided, it is de facto included in the law.
The law would be repealed months later.
The law would be repealed months later.
No censorship
On February 28th, 2013, the city of Balti overturned its law against "gay propaganda". Since then, there was no known censorship of LGBTIQ+ topics in Moldova until July of that year.
Right to change legal gender in Moldova is legal, but requires medical diagnosis.
Current status
Since Apr 26, 2001
Legal, but requires medical diagnosis
Transgender people are allowed to change their legal name and gender on official documents in Moldova, but require a psychiatric diagnosis confirming their "transgenderism" to do so.
Gender-affirming care in Moldova is legal.
Current status
Legal
Gender affirming care is legal in Moldova but often difficult to access in practice.
Legal recognition of non-binary gender in Moldova is not legally recognized.
Current status
Not legally recognized
Rainbow Europe reports that Moldova doesn’t recognize non-binary gender identities yet, though it may happen in the future.
LGBT discrimination in Moldova is illegal.
Current status
Since Feb 9, 2023
LGBT employment discrimination in Moldova is sexual orientation and gender identity.
Current status
Since Feb 9, 2023
LGBT housing discrimination in Moldova is unknown.
Current status
Unknown
Same-sex adoption in Moldova is legal.
Current status
Legal
Same-sex couples are not prohibited by law from adopting in Moldova. However, societal biases could inhibit this in practice.
Intersex infant surgery in Moldova is not banned.
Current status
Not banned
There is no official ban on unnecessary sex reassignment operations in infants in Moldova.
Serving openly in military in Moldova is lesbians, gays, bisexuals permitted, transgender people banned.
Current status
Lesbians, gays, bisexuals permitted, transgender people banned
Gays and lesbians allowed to serve, transgenders unfortunately aren’t
Blood donations by MSMs in Moldova is banned (indefinite deferral).
Current status
Banned (indefinite deferral)
The Moldovan legislation bans MSMs from donating blood due to high risk of transmitting STDs.
Conversion therapy in Moldova is not banned.
Current status
Not banned
Conversion therapy is legal in Moldova but not widely practiced.
Equal age of consent in Moldova is equal.
Current status
Since 2002
Equal
LGBT Rights by District
View the LGBT laws in each individual district of Moldova.
- Anenii Noi
- Basarabeasca
- Briceni
- Cahul
- Cantemir
- Cimişlia
- Criuleni
- Călăraşi
- Căuşeni
- Donduşeni
- Drochia
- Dubăsari
- Edinet
- Floreşti
- Făleşti
- Glodeni
- Hînceşti
- Ialoveni
- Leova
- Nisporeni
- Ocniţa
- Orhei
- Rezina
- Rîşcani
- Soroca
- Străşeni
- Sîngerei
- Taraclia
- Teleneşti
- Ungheni
- Şoldăneşti
- Ştefan Vodă
- Bălţi (City)
- Chisinau (City)
- Tighina (City)
- Gagauzia, Unitatea teritoriala autonoma (Autonomous Territorial Unit)
- Transnistria (Region)
- Stînga Nistrului, unitatea teritoriala din (Territorial Unit)
Equality Rank
#183
Interest Rank based on Equaldex traffic ?
Top Contributors
- DaisyGeekyTrans 13 contributions
- Markissik 5 contributions
- AlexandruM 4 contributions
- JohnQuebec98 2 contributions
- Doomdorm64 2 contributions
- danlev 2 contributions
- robertshippey 2 contributions
- maddyksf 1 contribution
- Samanthos 1 contribution
- Fandorine 1 contribution
Moldova LGBT Organizations
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Common queries:
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