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1981 in LGBT Rights

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In 1981, there were 9 recorded legal changes made affecting LGBT people. In the previous year, there were 33 changes made and 15 in the following year. A total of 165 legal changes were made in the 1980s.

  • April 7
    Gender-affirming care becomes legal, but restricted for minors.
    In 1981, the first sex reassignment surgery in China's history took place, and standards of care for transgender patients were also established, which was confirmed by the adoption of the ICD classification in 1987
  • February 1
    Homosexual activity becomes legal.
    Homosexual activities were legalised in Scotland — on the same basis as that which was used for the 1967 Act – by Section 80 of the Criminal Justice
  • (date unknown)
    Gender-affirming care becomes legal, but restricted for minors.
    In 1981, Iceland adopted the ICD-9 classification, which included codes allowing for the diagnosis of transsexualism in adults.
  • Gender-affirming care becomes legal, but restricted for minors.
    In 1981, the Department of Sexology and Pathology of Interpersonal Relationships was established in Warsaw, which was the first facility in Poland providing help to transgender people, including the diagnosis of gender dysphoria and hormone therapy. Since then, many similar healthcare facilities have been established, including private ones, after the fall of the communist system in Poland.
  • January 1
    Same-sex adoption becomes illegal.
    The Law on Marriage and Family Relations adopted on June 5, 1980 also recognized two categories of adoption: "incomplete adoption" and "full adoption". In the first case, adoptive parents could be both individuals and married partners (Article 157). In the second case, adoptive parents are married partners, and exceptionally unmarried persons if there are justified reasons for that (Article 191).
  • (date unknown)
    LGBT employment discrimination becomes sexual orientation and gender identity.
    As of 1981, Employment discrimination was outlawed as well as LGBTQ discrimination.
  • January 1
    Homosexual activity becomes legal.
    For sex between men aged 21 or over.
  • (date unknown)
    LGBT discrimination becomes illegal.
    Section 5 of the Act on the Prohibition of Discrimination on the grounds of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Gender Expression bans discrimination towards LGBTQ+ persons. Norway was the first country in the world to enact a law against the discrimination of LGBT people by amending Paragraph 349a of the Norwegian Penal Code. In the same year Paragraph 135a was amended to prohibit hate speech directed at sexual minorities.
  • January 1
    Same-sex marriage becomes banned.
    The Marriage Law of the People's Republic of China which went into effect on January 1st, 1981, defines marriage as between a man and a woman. However, there wasn’t an explicit ban on same-sex civil unions, so the door has been left open for these.

LGBT Organizations Founded in 1981