# LGBTQ rights in Akrotiri and Dhekelia

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LGBTQ rights in the United Kingdom :
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United Kingdom Scotland Northern Ireland :
Crown dependencies Guernsey Jersey Isle of Man :
Overseas Territories Anguilla Akrotiri and Dhekelia Bermuda British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Falkland Islands Gibraltar Montserrat Pitcairn Islands Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Turks and Caicos Islands :
Same-sex marriage by territory United Kingdom Scotland Northern Ireland Guernsey Jersey Isle of Man Akrotiri and Dhekelia Bermuda British Antarctic Territory British Indian Ocean Territory Cayman Islands Falkland Islands Gibraltar Pitcairn Islands Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands :
Policy aspects :
Sexual orientation
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Legislation :
Criminality
Buggery Act 1533
Offences Against the Person Act 1828
Offences Against the Person Act 1861
Labouchere Amendment
Wolfenden report
Sexual Offences Act 1967
Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1980
Homosexual Offences Order 1982
Section 28
Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994
Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000
Sexual Offences Act 2003
Policing and Crime Act 2017
Alan Turing law
Merchant Shipping (Homosexual Conduct) Act 2017
Historical Sexual Offences (Pardons and Disregards) (Scotland) Act 2018 :
Protection and recognition
Public Order Act 1986
Sex Discrimination (Gender Reassignment) Regulations 1999
Adoption and Children Act 2002
Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003
Civil Partnership Act 2004
Gender Recognition Act 2004
Equality Act 2006
Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007
Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008
Equality Act 2010
Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013
Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014
Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc) Act 2019
Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Act 2019 :
Litigation
Corbett v Corbett (1969)
X v United Kingdom (1978)
Dudgeon v United Kingdom (1981)
R v Brown (1993)
Sutherland v United Kingdom (1994)
Smith and Grady v United Kingdom (1999)
Goodwin & I v United Kingdom (2002)
HJ and HT v Home Secretary (2010)
National AIDS Trust v NHS Service Commissioning Board (2016)
Bell v Tavistock (2021)
AB v CD and others (2021) :
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Pride events
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Former groups
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Order of Chaeronea :
History :
Topics
Timeline
List of politicians
First LGBT officeholders
Violence against LGBT people
HIV/AIDS crisis
Death penalty :
Timeline 342 MSM activity made illegal 1533 Death penalty introduced for MSM activity 1543 Buggery Act extended to Wales 1828 Offences Against the Person Act 1828 1835 James Pratt and John Smith executed 1861 Death penalty for buggery abolished 1885 Labouchere Amendment introduced 1889 Cleveland Street scandal 1895 Oscar Wilde found guilty of gross indecency 1912 The Cave of the Golden Calf opens 1921 Plans to make lesbian activity illegal defeated 1936 Mark Weston transitions 1952 John Nott-Bower begins crackdown 1954 Pitt-Rivers, Montagu, Wildeblood imprisoned 1954 Alan Turing commits suicide 1957 Wolfenden report released 1967 MSM activity made legal (England & Wales) 1972 First British Gay Pride Rally 1976 Jeremy Thorpe resigns as Liberal leader 1981 MSM activity made legal (Scotland) 1981 First case of AIDS reported in the UK 1982 MSM activity made legal (NI) 1983 Gay men barred from donating blood 1984 Chris Smith elected as first openly gay MP 1987 Operation Spanner begins 1988 Section 28 comes into force 1989 Stonewall UK forms 1994 Age of consent for MSM becomes 18 1997 Angela Eagle becomes first openly lesbian MP 1998 Bolton 7 found guilty 1998 Lord Alli becomes first openly gay Lord 1999 Admiral Duncan bombing 2000 Gay men allowed in HM Armed Forces 2001 Age of consent equalised to 16 2001 MSM activity involving multiple men legal 2002 Same sex couples granted equal rights to adopt 2003 Section 28 repealed 2004 Civil partnerships introduced 2004 Gender Recognition Act 2004 2006 Discrimination made illegal 2008 Equalised access to IVF for lesbian couples 2008 Incitement to homophobic hatred made a crime 2009 Public apology to Alan Turing 2010 Equality Act 2010 2011 Gay men allowed to donate blood (1 yr deferral) 2013 Nikki Sinclaire becomes first openly trans MEP 2013 Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 2014 First same-sex marriages take place 2016 MSM activity not grounds for military discharge 2017 Turing law implemented 2017 Blood donation deferral 3 months (excl. NI) 2019 MPs legislate for gay marriage in NI 2020 Gay marriage legal across UK, incl. NI 2020 Blood donation deferral 3 months (incl. NI) 2021 Blood donation deferral equalised :
LGBTQ portal UK portal :
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Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in the British Overseas Territory of Akrotiri and Dhekelia enjoy most of the same rights as non-LGBT people.
The status of LGBT rights in certain areas is unclear. Same-sex marriage has been legal in the territory since June 2014, under the Overseas Marriage (Armed Forces) Order 2014, but only to British military personnel. In most cases, the laws of Akrotiri and Dhekelia and the United Kingdom do not apply to the c. 7,700 Cypriot civilians. Akrotiri and Dhekelia issues birth and death certificates to civilian residents for instance, but only issues marriage certificates to military personnel and their dependents.

## Law regarding same-sex sexual activity

Same-sex sexual activity was legalised in Akrotiri and Dhekelia in 2000, under the Criminal Code (Amendment) Ordinance 2000. In 2003, the age of consent was equalised for same-sex sexual activities.

## Recognition of same-sex relationships

Same-sex marriage in Akrotiri and Dhekelia has been legal since 3 June 2014. An ordinance to legalise such marriages was approved by the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty in Council on 28 April 2014 and came into effect on 3 June. However, for a same-sex couple to marry in the territory, at least one partner has to serve in the British Armed Forces and their marriage application has to be approved by the base commander. The first same-sex couple to marry in the territory was Sergeant Alastair Smith and Aaron Weston, who married on the British military base on Dhekelia on 10 September 2016.
Civil partnerships have also been legal for same-sex couples, if at least one partner is serving in the British Armed Forces, since 7 December 2005.
Civilian same-sex couples living in the territory are unable to marry, as they are governed under the laws of Cyprus which does not recognise same-sex marriage. In 1960, when the Republic of Cyprus became independent, the United Kingdom declared that the laws applicable to the civilian population would be as far as possible the same as the laws of Cyprus. In December 2015, civil unions were legalised in Cyprus for both different-sex and same-sex couples.

## Discrimination protections

The territory has prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment since 1 March 2013.
Since 1 February 2016, the local Criminal Code has criminalised incitement to violence or hatred on the ground of sexual orientation. Punishment ranges from 3 years imprisonment to a fine of 5,000 pounds.

## Summary table

| | Yes/No |
| Same-sex sexual activity legal | (Since 2000) |
| Equal age of consent | (Since 2003) |
| Anti-discrimination laws in employment only | (Since 2013) |
| Anti-discrimination laws in the provision of goods and services | |
| Anti-discrimination laws in all other areas (incl. indirect discrimination, hate speech) | (Since 2016) |
| Same-sex marriage | (Since 2014) |
| Recognition of same-sex couples | (Since 2005) |
| Stepchild adoption by same-sex couples | |
| Joint adoption by same-sex couples | |
| Access to IVF for lesbians and automatic parenthood for both spouses after birth | |
| LGBT people allowed to serve openly in the military | (Since 2000) |
| Right to change legal gender | |
| Commercial surrogacy for gay male couples | (Banned for heterosexual couples as well) |
| MSMs allowed to donate blood | |