LGBT rights in Puerto Rico | |
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Status | Legal since 2003; codified in 2006 |
Gender identity | Transgender people are legally allowed to change their gender |
Military | Sexual orientation: Yes
Gender identity: Yes Transvestism: No Intersex status: No |
Discrimination protections | As of June 2020, discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity was removed from the new civil code of Puerto Rico - enacted with a signature from the Governor of Puerto Rico Wanda Vázquez Garced.[1] |
Family rights | |
Recognition of relationships | Same-sex marriage since 2015[2] |
Adoption | Full adoption rights since 2015 |
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Puerto Rico have most of the same protections and rights as non-LGBT individuals. Public discussion and debate about sexual orientation and gender identity issues has increased, and some legal changes have been made. Supporters and opponents of legislation protecting the rights of LGBT persons can be found in both of the major political parties. Public opposition still exists due, in large part, to the strong influence of the Roman Catholic Church, as well as socially conservative Protestants. Puerto Rico has a great influence on the legal rights of LGBT citizens. Same-sex marriage has been legal in the commonwealth since July 2015, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges that same-sex marriage bans are unconstitutional.