Country Overview
Vatican
At a glance
Same-sex Relations for Men Legal Throughout the Country?
Same-sex Relations for Women Legal Throughout the Country?
Legal Gender Recognition Possible?
LGBTI Orgs Able to Register?
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Vatican City State is a unique ecclesiastical state that is the home of the Roman Catholic Church. While it is the world’s smallest country by area and population, it has a significant influence globally, particularly on persons who are Catholic and on countries that have large Catholic populations. This influence extends to the United Nations, although it is not a voting member.
Having adopted the Italian Penal Code of 1889, the Vatican has no criminal laws against consensual same-sex sexual relations. However, there are no laws specifically protecting LGBTIQ people, and the Vatican dismissed at least one official shortly after he publicly revealed he was gay.
The Vatican only conducts and recognizes Catholic marriages, excluding same-sex couples. The late Pope Francis expressed support for same-sex civil unions in 2021. However, the Vatican has publicly opposed “sex change” and “gender theory,” which it declares as “contrary to human dignity.”
*Outright research indicates that the bodily autonomy of intersex people is not respected and protected in this country.
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