Switzerland

Demographics

Estimated Total Population:

8.57 million

World Bank, 2019

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

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) rights in Switzerland are relatively progressive by European standards, although LGBT people lack full legal equality with full joint adoption and IVF access remaining unavailable in Switzerland as of 2020. Same-sex sexual activity was decriminalized nationwide in 1942 with the introduction of a national criminal code. Switzerland also has the intersex organization Zwischengeschlecht which campaigns for intersex rights and bodily autonomy.

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

RECOGNITION
Marriage for Same-Sex Couples
No
Civil Unions
Yes
Joint Adoption
No
Second Parent Adoption
No
PROTECTION
Employment Nondiscrimination Laws
Yes
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

Schwappach, D. L. (2008). Smoking behavior, intention to quit, and preferences toward cessation programs among gay men in Zurich, Switzerland. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 10(12), 1783-1787. https://academic.oup.com/ntr/article-abstract/10/12/1783/1046725

Wang, J., Häusermann, M., Ajdacic-Gross, V., Aggleton, P., & Weiss, M. G. (2007). High prevalence of mental disorders and comorbidity in the Geneva Gay Men’s Health Study.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology, 42(5), 414-420. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00127-007-0190-3.pdf

Wang, J., Häusermann, M., Berrut, S., & Weiss, M. G. (2013). The impact of a depression awareness campaign on mental health literacy and mental morbidity among gay men.Journal of affective disorders, 150(2), 306-312. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165032713002668?casa_token=NTKF6mfacQAAAAA:tHuUVwU3de15XcieNO0yY6PvdbHD9e7yiShiuPuoTG2e4XS4Smko3SbLRvljLZH5DVnhsb2A

Wang, J., Häusermann, M., Vounatsou, P., Aggleton, P., & Weiss, M. G. (2007). Health status, behavior, and care utilization in the Geneva Gay Men's Health Survey. Preventive medicine, 44(1), 70-75. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091743506003392?casa_token=LRGvnEGEvVIAAAAA:Uc4xFX7m3d_NbpjykQno-DdMitsjAVKDu2ujFm-nRho6r0wN3GBhweCryAqifhI59KTerLyLLA

World Health Organization. (2009). Prevention and treatment of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections among men who have sex with men and transgender populations: report of a technical consultation, 15-17 September 2008, Geneva, Switzerland. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/44103/9789241597913_eng.pdf