Country Overview
Kuwait
At a glance
Same-sex Relations for Men Legal Throughout the Country?
Same-sex Relations for Women Legal Throughout the Country?
Legal Gender Recognition Possible?
LGBTI Orgs Able to Register?
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Kuwait criminalizes same-sex sexual acts between men with a maximum punishment of seven years imprisonment. There have been reports of authorities arresting and deporting people accused of being homosexual, and government officials have publicly denigrated the LGBTIQ community. According to reports, police officers have subjected trans women to significant humiliation and physical, psychological, and sexual abuse. Yet, in a landmark move in 2022, Kuwait repealed an article of its Penal Code against “imitating the opposite sex,” which had been used to target and harass transgender and gender-nonconforming people. LGBTIQ activism does exist in Kuwait, but the current legal framework would likely not allow for LGBTIQ organizations to be registered.
Global Impact
Sub-Saharan Africa
Outright supports LGBTIQ organizations in Sub-Saharan Africa and works with mainstream human rights organizations to respect human rights and influence positive changes in laws, policies, attitudes and beliefs that cause discrimination against LGBTIQ people.
United Nations
Our work at the United Nations centers around advocating for the advancement of the rights of LGBTIQ people.
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In the Middle East and North Africa, we partner with local groups in various countries as part of our international solidarity work. We also work with our local partners on different topics through capacity building, advocacy, research and holistic security.
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Outright International partners with activists to fight for an end to human rights violations based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression in Europe and Central Asia, where most of our work involves emergency responses to harassment, discrimination, violence, and most recently, Russia’s brutal and expanded invasion of Ukraine.
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