While there aren’t official numbers on the size of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender population in Austria, a 2016 ECRI Report claims that 6.2% of Austrians identified as LGBT+. Read our guide to gay marriage in Austria Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is legal, with 14 as the legal age of consent. Austria also passed legislation allowing citizens to change legal gender in 2009 and since 2019, the country now officially recognizes non-binary as a gender. Same-sex marriage was legalized in 2019 and LGBT+ people are able to serve openly in the military. The country legalized homosexuality in 1971 and introduced comprehensive anti-discrimination measures in 2004. University of Vienna, showing support for the LGBT+ community during EuroPride 2019Īustria came in a remarkable fourth out of 197 countries ranked in the Spartacus Gay Travel Index 2019. This places Austria in a fairly central position on the scale for Europe with Malta and Belgium leading the way and Turkey and Azerbaijan lagging. The results track each country on factors such as equality, family issues, hate speech, legal gender recognition, freedom of expression, and asylum rights. The rankings are based on the laws and policies of each country regarding the LGBT+ community.
In recent years, the government has made great strides towards inclusion by updating its laws and providing more protection for minority groups.
And thankfully, Austria is making great headway towards including and protecting the LGBT+ community.
After all, it is a basic civil right to live free of discrimination. The rights and inclusion of the LGBT+ community – lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender, and individuals identifying uniquely – is of utmost importance. Although change has perhaps been slower than in other European countries, the overall atmosphere in Austria is a welcoming one today. Generally speaking, LGBT+ rights have made vast progress over the last two decades in Austria.
From same-sex marriage and parenting rights to societal attitudes and media representation, we explore LGBT+ rights in Austria.