Country Overview
Switzerland
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?
View more for this country:
LGBTIQ people experience some protections in Switzerland. Same-sex couples can marry and adopt. Trans people are allowed to change their legal gender markers on the basis of self-determination, although there is no legal recognition for nonbinary people. A majority of people in Switzerland support same-sex marriage, but express stronger prejudice toward trans and intersex people. Several LGBTIQ Pride events are held annually, and there have been openly gay and lesbian politicians across the political spectrum. In 2020, Swiss voters approved a law criminalizing homophobic hate speech and discrimination, extending protections based on sexual orientation that are similar to existing protections for race and religion. However, anti-LGBTIQ hate speech and discrimination remain serious issues, and the cases of hate crimes increased by 50 percent between 2020 and 2021. Conversion practices have been documented in Switzerland, and efforts to legislate against them have been undertaken in some cities but not at a national level. Nonconsensual medical interventions on intersex children are still legal; a 2022 motion to ban them was ultimately not adopted by the Federal Council.
*Outright research indicates that the bodily autonomy of intersex people is not respected and protected in 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