Sweden

In Sweden, LGBTIQ people enjoy many of the same rights as other people. Same-sex couples can marry and adopt, and discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression is banned. In July 2025, a new gender identity law came into force, improving access to legal gender recognition by no longer requiring a medical diagnosis and allowing individuals aged 16 and 17 to change gender markers. However, the process requires a statement from a health care professional, falling short of full self-determination. Access to gender-affirming care for trans minors is restricted: guidelines published by the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare in 2022 recommended it only be allowed for trans youth under 18 in research settings or exceptional cases.

There are several LGBTIQ Pride events throughout Sweden each year. A 2023 survey showed that 96 percent of people in Sweden were “totally comfortable with” lesbian, gay, and bisexual people, while 95 percent felt the same about trans and intersex people. However, a 2026 survey of over 8,000 Swedish students showed that “negative attitudes towards several minority groups have increased, especially when it comes to LGBT people.” Right-wing politicians have espoused anti-LGBTIQ rhetoric. Within schools, while staff are “obliged to prevent and investigate all instances of degrading treatment, harassment and bullying, including those connected to gender identity/expression and/or sexual orientation,” LGBTIQ students are still three times more likely to experience bullying than non-LGBTIQ students. In a 2021 survey, five percent of young people of queer experience reported having been subjected to conversion practices.

In December 2025, Sweden enacted new rules regarding changes to its blood donation policy, first announced in 2024. The rules replace sexual orientation-based restrictions with a single waiting period applied equally to all donors after new sexual contacts. This reform removes the longer deferral previously imposed on men who have sex with men and shifts eligibility from identity to behavior-based assessment. The update is intended to make blood donation rules more inclusive while maintaining safety standards.