Homosexuality in Estonia

Geographical location of Estonia

In Estonia , homosexuality is becoming increasingly accepted. The country is considered to be more liberal than its neighboring Baltic states, Latvia and Lithuania, and in October 2014 became the first of the former Soviet republics to decide to introduce same-sex partnership.

legality

Homosexuality was legalized in 1992. With regard to the age of consent, it is equal to heterosexuality. The age of consent was adjusted to 14 years in 2001.

Anti-discrimination laws

An Anti-Discrimination Act has been in place since 2004, banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the areas of employment, education, property, health care, and access to goods and services. The law was issued as an implementation of the anti-discrimination legislation of the European Union . Homosexuals can do military service.

Recognition of same-sex partnerships

In Estonia, same-sex marriage and registered partnership were not legal. Since July 2008, a draft law on the approval of a registered partnership in Estonia has been discussed in parliament. Since 2012, a draft law has been drawn up by the Estonian Minister of Justice for the approval of a civil partnership institute. A vote on the introduction of registered partnerships for same-sex couples was held on October 9, 2014 as planned. The proposed law was passed with a narrow majority of 40 votes. 38 MPs voted against the draft, 10 abstained, 13 were not present. The law gives same-sex couples almost all the rights as married couples except for marriage, surrogacy and full adoption rights. The law was signed on the same day by President Toomas Hendrik Ilves. The law came into force on January 1, 2016.

Social situation

Due to the low population density, a homosexual community can only be found in the capital Tallinn . A Christopher Street Day has been held there at irregular intervals since 2004 , during which violent crimes by right-wing extremists occurred in 2006 . A 2012 survey found that 34 percent of Estonians are in favor of same-sex marriage and 46 percent are in favor of registered partnership for same-sex couples. According to a new poll conducted in October 2014, 49 percent of Estonians vote in favor of registered partnerships for same-sex couples and 51 percent oppose them. The survey found an ethnic divide: while 54 percent of ethnic Estonians are in favor of registered partnership for same-sex couples, only 38 percent of Russian Estonians do so.