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Country Overview

Mongolia

At a glance

Same-sex Relations for Men Legal Throughout the Country?

Yes

Same-sex Relations for Women Legal Throughout the Country?

Yes

Legal Gender Recognition Possible?

Yes

LGBTI Orgs Able to Register?

Yes

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Mongolia decriminalized same-sex sexual activity after its 1990 democratic revolution, but same-sex couples still cannot be legally recognized. Trans people can change their legal gender markers, but to do this, they must first undergo surgery. Although the Mongolian Parliament adopted a new Criminal Code in 2015 that included sexual orientation and gender identity as protected grounds against hate crimes, violence and discrimination against LGBTIQ people are still common and often not reported to the police. When these incidents are reported, they are often not taken seriously. LGBTIQ people, particularly trans women, face difficulty in securing employment. The LGBT Centre Mongolia fought to register for three years, and now, this center is still the only registered LGBTIQ organization in Mongolia. This group has organized Pride events and LGBTIQ-awareness training, and due to the work of activists, visibility about LGBTIQ issues is growing, although there are still major gaps. Media portrayal of LGBTIQ people is often negative and perpetuates stereotypes, and many LGBTIQ people hide their identities to avoid harassment and family rejection.

 

Global Impact

Sub-Saharan Africa

Outright supports LGBTIQ organizations in Sub-Saharan Africa and works with mainstream human rights organizations to respect human rights and influence positive changes in laws, policies, attitudes and beliefs that cause discrimination against LGBTIQ people.

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United Nations

Our work at the United Nations centers around advocating for the advancement of the rights of LGBTIQ people.

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Asia

Our work in Asia promotes acceptance of sexual and gender diversity at all levels of society.

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Middle East and North Africa

In the Middle East and North Africa, we partner with local groups in various countries as part of our international solidarity work. We also work with our local partners on different topics through capacity building, advocacy, research and holistic security.



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Europe and Central Asia

Outright International partners with activists to fight for an end to human rights violations based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression in Europe and Central Asia, where most of our work involves emergency responses to harassment, discrimination, violence, and most recently, Russia’s brutal and expanded invasion of Ukraine.

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Americas

Our work in the Americas continues to build on the fundamental and positive transformation of human rights protections in recent years. We partner with groups in the Caribbean that focus on ending gender-based violence and eradicating discrimination against trans people.

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Pacific

Our work in the Pacific aims to increase the visibility of activists, respond to human rights emergencies, and actively bridge local, regional, and international activism to achieve equality and justice.

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Human Rights Research

Since 1990, we have partnered with activists from all over the world to produce hundreds of groundbreaking reports.

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