Timor-Leste

Timor-Leste is considered one of the more progressive nations in Southeast Asia regarding LGBTIQ people’s rights, having decriminalized same-sex activity in 1975 following the end of colonial rule by the Portuguese. It was shortly thereafter occupied by Indonesia, which did not criminalize same sex relations in its penal code. While no specific antidiscrimination laws exist, the 2009 penal code treats bias based on sexual orientation as an aggravating circumstance in criminal cases. Despite the progress shown by some key political figures, barriers to full equality remain, including the lack of legal recognition for same sex couples, no legal gender recognition for transgender individuals, and the risk of social ostracization. 

The country has held a Pride march every year since 2017. In April 2019, the Timorese Minister of Legislative Reform and Parliamentary Affairs called for an end to discrimination against LGBTIQ people, saying that “barbaric laws and discriminatory treatment or marginalized groups have to end.” In 2022, the Pride march concluded at the Presidential Palace with the support of the newly elected president. In 2024, a prominent lesbian couple who worked at the Presidential Palace married legally in Darwin, Australia, with the president of Timor-Leste being one of the witnesses. Many activists viewed this as an important stepping stone toward the acceptance of LGBTIQ people. In 2023, Timor-Leste became a member of the UN LGBTI Core Group. 

Despite these developments, LGBTIQ people still face stigma, discrimination, and violence at the hands of their families and the broader society. Support from high-profile government officials has also failed to translate into laws and regulations that protect the rights of LGBTIQ persons. For example, transgender people still cannot change their legal gender markers or access gender-affirming health care. Timor-Leste’s Law on Domestic Violence (Law No. 7/2010) may offer some level of protection to LGBTIQ persons as it adopts a victim-centered and human rights-based approach, uses gender-neutral language, and broadly covers intimate partner relationships, but it does not explicitly reference LGBTIQ people among vulnerable groups.

Community organizing in Timor-Leste is led by at least two main groups: Arcoiris and Fundasaun Codiva. Both are actively advocating for rights and safety, notably organizing the annual Pride in the country since 2017 together with the youth group Hatutan. These groups focus on reducing violence, offering shelters, and promoting sensitization on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics to different stakeholders—the latter in collaboration with the Ombudsman for Human Rights and Justice.