Country Overview
New Zealand
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?
Actions Related to SOGI at the UN:
2016:
2019:
View more for this country:
New Zealand is well known for its openness and diversity, not only in society but also in politics. After recognizing gender-neutral civil union in 2004, this island became the first country in the Asia Pacific to legalize same-sex marriage in 2013. New Zealand also included sexual orientation and gender identity in the Human Rights Act in 1993, and transgender people are allowed to change their gender marker without surgery. Olympic's first openly transgender woman, a weightlifting athlete, was also from New Zealand. According to a public poll, the majority of New Zealanders support LGBTI rights, and now there are more discussion about indigenous and LGBTI community intersectionality issues.
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 on the continent.
United Nations
Our work at the United Nations centers around advocating for the advancement of the rights of LGBTIQ people.
View this regionAsia
Our work in Asia promotes acceptance of sexual and gender diversity at all levels of society.
View this regionMiddle East and North Africa
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.
Europe and Central Asia
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.
Americas
Our work in the Americas continues to build on the fundamental and positive transformation of human rights protections in recent years. We partner with groups in the Caribbean that focus on ending gender-based violence and eradicating discrimination against trans people.
Pacific
Our work in the Pacific aims to increase visibility of activists, respond to human rights emergencies, and actively bridge local, regional and international activism to achieve equality and justice.
View this regionGlobal
View this region
Human Rights Research
Since 1990, we have partnered with activists from all over the world to produce hundreds of groundbreaking reports.
Read Our Reports