Bangladesh

Demographics

Estimated Total Population:

161.4 million

World Bank, 2018

Estimated SGM Population:

10,000-500,000

Karim, 2013; Anam, 2015

Estimated Total SGM Adult Population:

N/A

Estimated % of SGM Adults (18+):

N/A

The penal code of Bangladesh, under Section 377, forbids homosexual intercourse as well as same-sex marriage, civil unions, or domestic partnerships. As of November 2013, a third gender, the hijra, was recognized by the government. Though the government provides limited support (particularly in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic), hijras face negative social attitudes and even threats from religious extremists. Nonetheless, hijra culture flourishes: several LGBTQ organizations, including Boys of Bangladesh, boast of thousands of members and Roopbaan, the nation’s first LGBTQ magazine, has been in publication since 2014.

Bangladesh's Laws and Policies from ILGA World Report (2019)

RECOGNITION

Marriage for Same-Sex Couples	No
Civil Unions	No
Joint Adoption	No
Second Parent Adoption	No

PROTECTION

Employment Nondiscrimination Laws	No
Broad Protections	No
Criminalization of Violence	No
Ban of Conversion Therapy	No

CRIMINALIZATION

Consensual Same-Sex Acts are Legal?	No
Gender	Male Only
Max Penalty (Yrs in Prison)	10

Selected Published Studies, Reports, and Other Documents

Ahmed, I. (2019, August). Decolonising Queer Bangladesh: Neoliberalism Against LGBTQ Emancipation. E-International Relations. https://www.e-ir.info/2019/08/16/decolonising-queer-bangladesh-neoliberalism-against-lgbtq-emancipation/

Amundsen, I. (2018, March). The ruins of Bangladesh's LGBT community. East Asia Forum. https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2018/03/23/the-ruins-of-bangladeshs-lgbt-community/

Anam, T. (2015, July). Transgender Rights, Bangladesh Style. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/03/opinion/tahmima-anam-transgender-rights-bangladesh-labannya-hijra.html

HRC Staff. (2017, April). New Photo Exhibit at HRC Commemorates Bangladeshi LGBTQ Activists. Human Rights Campaign. https://www.hrc.org/blog/new-photo-exhibit-at-hrc-commemorates-one-year-anniversary-of-murdered-bang

Karim, M. (2013, November). Hijras now a separate gender. Dhaka Tribune. https://web.archive.org/web/20170910040323/http://archive.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2013/nov/11/hijras-now-separate-gender

Mendes, L. R. (2019, March). State-Sponsored Homophobia. The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, And Intersex Association. https://ilga.org/downloads/ILGA_State_Sponsored_Homophobia_2019.pdf

Rahman, R. (2016, June 2). How Bangladesh's LGBT Community Is Dealing with Threats and Machete Attacks.Vice. https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/9b89v3/how-bangladeshs-lgbt-community-is-dealing-with-threats-and-machete-attacks

Rahman, R. (2017, June). No Country for Bangladesh's Gay Men. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/30/opinion/bangladesh-lgbt-gay.html

Roopbaan Editors. (2020, April). Statement on the Fourth Anniversary of the Murders of Xulhaz and Tonoy. Roopbaan. https://roopbaan.org/2020/04/23/statement-on-the-fourth-anniversary-of-the-murders-of-xulhaz-and-tonoy/

The World Bank. (2018). Bangladesh. Data. https://data.worldbank.org/country/bangladesh