Bangladesh

The Penal Code of Bangladesh, a colonial-era law dating back to 1860, outlaws “intercourse against the order of nature,” prescribing a penalty of life imprisonment. Although this law is rarely enforced, there have been reports of police using the law as a pretext to harass people they thought were LGBTIQ. Conservative religious views influence societal norms around gender and sexuality, and LGBTIQ people experience harassment, discrimination, and social stigmatization. LGBTIQ activists have also been the targets of threats and violence, including fatal attacks. 

Since 2014, Bangladesh has legally recognized hijra people as a third gender, allowing them to change their legal gender markers to reflect this status. In recent years, there have been LGBTIQ and hijra Pride events. Yet, hijras continue to face stigma, employment discrimination, and mistreatment, which often starts at school. Most recently, Islamist groups have become vocal in their opposition to the legal recognition of hijras, with a professor from BRAC University in Dhaka setting off public backlash against gender diversity after publicly tearing a seventh-grade History and Social Science textbook because it contained a two-page story featuring a transgender character. 

Hijra, women and queer activists took an active role in the July Revolution of 2024 that saw student-led protests oust incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Despite their visible presence at the student protests, the tenor of political discourse in the country under the caretaker government has taken a sharp turn toward religious conservatism, resulting in increasing violence against women and LGBTIQ people for not conforming to gender norms. Outright’s research in 2025 shows that lesbian, bisexual, and queer women in Bangladesh have been subjected to online gender-based violence, including sexualized harassment, hate speech, extortion and threats from individuals and organized groups.

*Outright research indicates that the bodily autonomy of intersex people is not respected and protected in this country.