Country Overview
Tonga
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: Abstained from Voting IE SOGI
2019:
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The Criminal Offences Act of Tonga outlaws same-sex sexual activity, prescribing a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment. Tongan society is socially conservative and highly religious. A recent surge in fundamentalism and religious fanaticism has fomented anti-LGBTIQ sentiment in Tonga. LGBTIQ Tongans face discrimination, harassment, and social stigmatization. Tonga recognizes gender diversity in relation to the fakaleiti, who are people assigned male at birth and take on a feminine gender role. Though the fakaleiti are respected and play a specific cultural role in Tonga, they still experience some stigmatization and discrimination.
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