- Homosexuality
- ⚢✖ Male illegal, female legal
- Gay Marriage
- ⚭✖ Banned
- Censorship
- ✔ No censorship
- Changing Gender
- ✖ Illegal
- Gender-Affirming Care
- ✖ Restricted
- Non-Binary Gender Recognition
- ✖ Not legally recognized
- Discrimination
- ✖ No protections
- Employment Discrimination
- ✖ No protections
- Housing Discrimination
- Unknown
- Adoption
- ✖ Single only
- Intersex Infant Surgery
- Unknown
- Military
- Ambiguous
- Donating Blood
- Ambiguous
- Conversion Therapy
- ✖ Not banned
- Age of Consent
- Female equal, male N/A
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Public Opinion
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Same-sex marriage in Turkmenistan is banned.
Current status
Banned
The Family Code of Turkmenistan defines marriage as a voluntary equal union of a man and a woman.
Censorship of LGBT issues in Turkmenistan is no censorship.
Current status
No censorship federal law
While freedom of speech, expression and association are all heavily policed in Turkmenistan there is no evidence to suggest that the government systematically targets LGBTQIA+ individuals for such censorship.
Right to change legal gender in Turkmenistan is illegal.
Current status
Since Sep 27, 1991
Illegal
There are no legal provisions that allow gender change in official documents. Article 21 of the Civil Code allows name change, but it is not specific to trans people.
The Handbook for Higher Education Institutions presented by the Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan includes transsexuality and hermaphroditism within the investigations on controversial sexual situations and mentions that these examinations are carried out in ambiguous cases, i.e. when a person's gender (female or male) is uncertain.
The Handbook for Higher Education Institutions presented by the Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan includes transsexuality and hermaphroditism within the investigations on controversial sexual situations and mentions that these examinations are carried out in ambiguous cases, i.e. when a person's gender (female or male) is uncertain.
Legal, but requires surgery
Turkmenistan was part of the Soviet Union during 1972 when the first sex change was performed and a trans man was granted legal gender recognition after completing surgery.
Gender-affirming care in Turkmenistan is restricted.
Current status
Restricted
Turkmenistan has no legally approved procedure for medical transition for trans people. The concepts of “gender identity” and “medical sex reassignment” are absent not only in the legal framework, but also in practice.
Legal recognition of non-binary gender in Turkmenistan is not legally recognized.
Current status
Not legally recognized
there are no laws recognizing this.
LGBT discrimination in Turkmenistan is no protections.
Current status
No protections
There are no laws that explicitly protect sexual orientation or gender identity.
LGBT employment discrimination in Turkmenistan is no protections.
Current status
No protections
The Labor Code does not ban discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
LGBT housing discrimination in Turkmenistan is unknown.
Current status
Unknown
Same-sex adoption in Turkmenistan is single only.
Current status
Since Jul 1, 2020
Single only
Article 57 of the Act on Civil Status Records specifies in point 1 that an application for adoptive adoption of a child should be submitted to the competent RYNÝ institution through a written application for state registration of the child's adoption, containing the decision of the voivode or a final court decision on the adoption of the child. Such an application may be submitted by an individual or a heterosexual couple.
Until Jul 1, 2020
Illegal
Same-sex couples are unable to adopt.
Intersex infant surgery in Turkmenistan is unknown.
Current status
Unknown
Serving openly in military in Turkmenistan is ambiguous.
Current status
Ambiguous
The legal status regarding the service of homosexual and transgender people in Turkmenistan is unknown.
Blood donations by MSMs in Turkmenistan is ambiguous.
Current status
Ambiguous
There is no explicit prohibition on blood donation by LGBT community people in the legislation of Turkmenistan, as there is no concept of LGBT itself. Nevertheless, the hostile situation for LGBT people makes it unlikely that they can donate blood.
In accordance with article 13 of the Law «On blood donation», donors can be capable persons between 18 and 60 years of age who do not have any medical contraindications related to donating blood. Blood donors cannot be persons who have diseases that are dangerous to the life and health of the recipient.
In accordance with article 13 of the Law «On blood donation», donors can be capable persons between 18 and 60 years of age who do not have any medical contraindications related to donating blood. Blood donors cannot be persons who have diseases that are dangerous to the life and health of the recipient.
Conversion therapy in Turkmenistan is not banned.
Current status
Not banned
There is no ban on conversion therapy.
Equal age of consent in Turkmenistan is female equal, male n/a.
Current status
Since Jan 1, 2014
Female equal, male N/A
Set age of 16 years for same sexual activity between women and for heterosexual sexual activity. However male same sexual activity is illegal
Legal Rights
21 / 100
This region's Equality Index is based on legal rights alone. Please submit survey results that show the public opinion of LGBTQ+ issues in Turkmenistan to help improve its accuracy.
Equality Rank
#159
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Top Contributors
- Unknownmiles 11 contributions
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- BlkPride 2 contributions
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Alternative names: Türkmenostan (local name)
