Take Action in your Legislative Role

Enact comprehensive laws that specifically prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics.

Prioritize access to justice, housing, employment, healthcare, education and legal recognition (i.e., official documentation) for LGBTI people.

Repeal laws that criminalize same-sex activity between consenting adults and laws that criminalize transgender people on the basis of their gender identity and expression.

Protect individuals from homophobic and transphobic violence by:

• Adopting hate crime laws that protect all individuals from violence, including those targeted on the grounds of their real or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity; and

• Strengthening legislation to incorporate mechanisms for monitoring and reporting hate-motivated acts of violence, asylum and police protection.

End impunity for acts of violence, whether committed by state or non-state actors, through enacting laws that appropriately prohibit and punish all forms of violence and discrimination, including the targeting of persons based on their imputed or real sexual orientation and gender identities.

Adopt adequate regulations that ensure proper investigation and diligent prosecution of perpetrators of human rights violations and establish judicial procedures that protect victims.

Review domestic legislation regarding non-discrimination with the objective to harmonize with existing regional and international obligations.

Advocate for executive support to ratify international human rights treaties and implement and harmonize these treaties in domestic law.

Enact laws that establish National Human Rights Institutions that include sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) within their mandate and/or specific institutions with expertise on and a mandate to deal with LGBTI rights and inclusion.

To gain wider support from broad based coalitions, include non-discrimination on the basis of SOGIESC in law reform efforts to also protect other vulnerable groups from discrimination including on the grounds of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, etc.