Number of LGBT-related laws changed over time
- (date unknown)Equal age of consent becomes equal.In the 1900 crimes act the age of consent is defined gender neutrally.
- January 1
- (date unknown)
- May 1Homosexual activity becomes illegal (imprisonment as punishment).At least 6 months imprisonment
- July 1Homosexual activity becomes male illegal, female legal.In 1890, the House of Commons introduced a new offence called “gross indecency." The new offence made it easier to charge suspected sodomites. In 1893, the gross indecency law became part of the country’s first Criminal Code. The original language of the law referred only to homosexual acts between men, as sex between women was typically ignored at the time.
- March 14Homosexual activity becomes illegal (imprisonment as punishment).Responding to STATE v. PLACE, the Washington State Legislature adopted the common law definition of "crimes against nature" and established a penalty of "imprisonment at hard labor in the state penitentiary for not less than ten nor more than fourteen years" upon conviction of sodomy.
- (date unknown)Homosexual activity becomes male illegal, female legal.Section 354 of the Guyana Criminal Law (Offences) Act of 1893 states “Everyone who commits buggery, either with a human being or with any other living creature, shall be guilty of felony and liable to imprisonment for life.” Buggery is also known as anal sexual intercourse. This law generally goes unenforced, however LGBT people still regularly face discrimination and violence.
- (date unknown)Equal age of consent becomes ambiguous.Under the Criminal Law Code at the time, age of consent to vaginal sex was raised from 12 to 14. Anal sex was not mentioned.
- January 1Homosexual activity becomes legal.The new code, commonly known as the "Zanardelli Code" after the then Minister of Justice, contained no mention of "acts against nature" and consequently decriminalized same-sex relations throughout the country. The situation was not even changed 40 years later by fascism with the promulgation of the Rocco Code, which remains the code in force, on October 19, 1930.
- Equal age of consent becomes equal.
- (date unknown)Homosexual activity becomes legal.No laws against homosexual relationships anywhere in Italy's Penal Code