Country Overview
Kiribati
At a glance
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In Kiribati, same-sex sexual relations between men are illegal. However, this law has reportedly not been enforced in many years. Employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is banned under the Employment and Industrial Relations Code of 2015.
Political support for the rights of sexual and gender minorities has increased in recent years. During the 2024 election period, the incumbent president committed to eliminating anti-LGBTQ discrimination and violence in her manifesto, while other high-ranking officials positively engaged with LGBTIQ issues during the campaign.
Gender diversity in Kiribati is seen in communities of the binabinamwane, which describes women who have sex with women, lesbian and bisexual women, and transgender men, and the binabinaine, which refers to men who have sex with men, gay and bisexual men, and transgender women. However, the law does not allow changing legal gender markers, nor does it ban nonconsensual medical interventions on intersex children.
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