LGBTI

Scotland is considered one of the most progressive countries in Europe in terms of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) equality.

We aim to preserve and advance Scotland's reputation as one of the most progressive countries in Europe in terms of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) equality.

Actions

We:

• were the first UK country to consult on same-sex marriage and subsequently legalised it through the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014
• have included intersex as part of our equality approach since 2014
• are committed to reforming the process for obtaining legal gender recognition 
• have established and funded organisations dedicated to stopping LGBTI-related bullying and discrimination
• provide funding to LGBTI organisations
• set up a working group to examine how the education experience for LGBTI young people can be improved

Background

We developed much of our current LGBTI policy around the Equality Act 2010, which:

• makes it unlawful to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation
• provides protection to transgender people who are proposing to undergo, are undergoing, or have undergone part of a gender reassignment process

We make equality considerations part of our everyday work. Find out more about: mainstreaming equality.

In its 2015 Rainbow Map, the European Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA Europe) ranked Scotland as the most inclusive for LGBTI equality and human rights legislation (it met 92% of the ILGA's 48-point criteria).

This is largely the result of the introduction of the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014 and the inclusion of intersex as part of our equality approach.

Bills and legislation

We introduced:

• the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014
• the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009, which eliminated sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination from sexual offences law
• robust hate crime legislation via the Offences (Aggravation by Prejudice) (Scotland) Act 2009. The definition of gender identity/transgender (with transgender identity) used in this legislation is considered to be the most inclusive definition in use
• the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007, which extended the law on adoption to allow same-sex couples to adopt jointly

Contact

Email: ceu@gov.scot - Central Enquiry Unit

Telephone: 0300 244 4000 - Central Enquiry Unit

Post:
Scottish Government
Equality Unit
Directorate for Local Government and Communities
Victoria Quay
Edinburgh
EH6 6QQ