LGBTI Youth

Timor-Leste has taken steps to protect recognize LGBTI rights, but gaps remain. The Constitution does not expressly list sexual orientation as a prohibited ground of discrimination, even though this was proposed during the drafting process in 2001. However, article 23 of the Constitution calls for all rights in the Constitution to be interpreted in line with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), and this Declaration provides a non-exhaustive list of grounds on which discrimination is prohibited. The Penal Code does not criminalize sex between consenting adults of the same sex, and it allows for a higher penalty if a person who commits a crime is motivated by discrimination on the grounds of ai???genderai??? or ai???sexual orientationai???. While the UNTAET Labour Code specifically prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation, this is not the case in the 2012 Labour Code currently in force. Clck here to read more