Country Overview
Jordan
At a glance
Last Update:
In 1951, Jordan abolished a colonial-era ban on same-sex intimacy, and in 2013, it criminalized honor killings, which may target LGBTIQ people. Transgender people have been allowed to change their legal gender markers in some cases, although there is no clear legal pathway. Jordan allows gender-affirming surgery for intersex individuals but criminalizes such procedures for transgender individuals under Article 8 of the Medical and Health Liability Law (25) of 2018. Jordan’s Cybercrime Law (17) of 2023 criminalizes the “creation, promotion, instigation, or support of immorality” online, posing a potential threat to sexual and gender minorities. Public decency laws provide legal cover for police and government officials to arbitrarily arrest LGBTIQ people and shut down events associated with sexual and gender diversity.
Jordan faces significant human rights challenges, particularly concerning refugees, migrants, minorities, and restrictions on civil and political rights. Authorities maintained limits on freedom of expression and assembly, targeting activists, journalists, and social media users under broad laws. The country remains one of the largest hosts of refugees. In October 2025, Minister of Interior Mazen Faraya said that Jordan was hosting 3.5 million refugees from 43 countries, including 1.4 million Syrians, but many face barriers to legal documentation, work, and basic services. Reports indicated forced deportations and detention of refugees without due process, raising serious concerns about non‑refoulement. Women and girls continue to experience legal and social discrimination, amplified by patriarchal social norms and discriminatory laws. Key areas include gender-based violence (including domestic violence and “honor” crimes), limited economic participation due to wage gaps, inequitable personal status laws restricting divorce and inheritance, and the inability to pass citizenship to children. Activists working on issues of sexual and gender diversity face harassment and criminalization under morality laws.
View more for this country:
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.
View this regionAsia
Our work in Asia promotes acceptance of sexual and gender diversity at all levels of society.
View this regionSouthwest Asia and North Africa
In the Southwest Asia 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 the visibility of activists, respond to human rights emergencies, and actively bridge local, regional, and international activism to achieve equality and justice.
Global
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