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1970 in LGBT Rights

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In 1970, there were 3 recorded legal changes made affecting LGBT people. In the previous year, there were 9 changes made and 39 in the following year. A total of 195 legal changes were made in the 1970s.

  • January 1
    Right to change legal gender becomes legal, but requires surgery.
    Prior to 2022, Gender change was legal and easier to access
  • Homosexual activity becomes legal.
    Consensual same-sex acts were legalized in 1945 after the end of WW2 by the Polish Penal Code. Since 2019 several municipalities have declared themselves to be "LGBT-free zones", while this has no legal standing it does adversely affect LGBT people by opening them up to hate crime. In 1970 homosexuality was completely decriminalized by removing the provision on homosexual prostitution from the penal code.
  • (date unknown)
    Serving openly in military becomes illegal.
    During the apartheid regime, the military often sent homosexual soldiers to psychiatric hospitals for shock therapy and in some cases, sexual reassignment surgeries. Between 1967 and 1991, all white males over the age of 16 were conscripted in South Africa.

LGBT Organizations Founded in 1970