Dominican Republic

Demographics

Estimated Total Population:

10.6 million

World Bank, 2018

Estimated SGM Population:

N/A

N/A

Estimated Total SGM Adult Population:

N/A

N/A

Estimated % of SGM Adults (18+):

N/A

N/A

Although same-sex relations are legal in the Dominican Republic, same-sex marriages are not yet legally recognized and LGBT Dominicans are exposed to violence, marginalization and discrimination based on their sexual or gender identity (Human Rights First). In addition, Dominican law prevents LGBTQ people from entering the police force. LGBTQ people face discrimination in access to employment, housing, education and healthcare. According to a 2014 study carried out by the Pew Research Center, 72% of Dominican respondents opposed same-sex marriage (Pew Research Center).

Dominican Republic'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?
Yes
Gender
Does Not Apply
Max Penalty (Yrs in Prison)
Does Not Apply

Selected Published Studies, Reports, and Other Documents

Clare Barrington, Ramon Acevedo, Yeycy Donastorg, Martha Perez & Deanna Kerrigan (2017) ‘HIV and work don't go together’: Employment as a social determinant of HIV outcomes among men who have sex with men and transgender women in the Dominican Republic, Global Public Health, 12:12, 1506-1521, DOI:10.1080/17441692.2016.1160141 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17441692.2016.1160141?casa_token=E1pODjz3hicAAAAA%3ASfEsFGXadrlFV2AfqYjPd_MQNbK-hvoxV7i78Ff9HDZSYStEu-VaRyaoGFPG-qpYKaEcrUm5XDHB4w
 
David Howard (2007) Development, racism, and discrimination in the Dominican Republic, Development in Practice, 17:6, 725-738, DOI:10.1080/09614520701628097 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09614520701628097?casa_token=WSWAW_zh3toAAAAA%3AOz5E95DqiZg5xXo7cjWn9-Br8EdNWi-Ad_qhdnyRxy8hZ6Fz9Tv5PsMY1zbQSmNikjNuyKHbKelLcg
 
De Moya, E.A., and Garcia, R. (1996) AIDS and the enigma of bisexuality in the Dominican Republic. In: Aggleton, P. (ed) Bisexualities and AIDS: international perspectives. Taylor & Francis, Bristol, PA, https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=OO14AgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA119&ots=SKP-cxvy3Y&sig=B98KFQV-3Qr8O5fBfy8hIk3d5hE&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
 
Ducos, J., Ramirez, A., Perez, J., Florencio, M., and Perdomo, C. (1993) HIV and syphilis among inmates of the Dominican Republic. International Conference in AIDS 9:650 (abstract PO-C02-2601).
 
H Daniel Castellanos (2019)Santo Domingo’s LGBT social movement: At the crossroads of HIV and LGBT activism, Global Public Health, 14:6-7, 963-976, DOI:10.1080/17441692.2019.1585467 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17441692.2019.1585467?casa_token=MrktI-Hxo6YAAAAA%3AgmMG1ZpGqEWOZBizCipo_BnEd1TxtYdy3WMDihIVH6dglBli-vQEhbKOZx6FEY7j6XPDWxLF4MlObQ
 
Henna Budhwani, Kristine Hearld, AdrienneMilner, Rebecca Charlow, Elaine Mcglaughlin, Mayra Rodriguez-Lauzurique, Santo Rosario, Robert Paulino-Ramirez. “Transgender Women's Experiences with Stigma, Trauma, and Attempted Suicide in the Dominican Republic”Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior 48 (6) December 2018 DOI: 10.1111/sltb.1240 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/sltb.12400
 
Human Rights First (n.d.), LGBT Issues in the Dominican Republic, Retrieved From:  
https://www.humanrightsfirst.org/sites/default/files/dominican-republic-fact-sheet.pdf
 
Padilla, M. (2007, in press) Caribbean pleasure industry: tourism, sexuality, and AIDS in the Dominican Republic. University of Chicago Press, Chicago https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=h-jhBW8LZeMC&oi=fnd&pg=PR5&ots=vVOKvMgt1z&sig=JjoFcx0rKUW-1zjO_NVTH7HcTBM&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false