Estonia, Europe

Homosexual sex was legalized in Estonia in 1992. The age of consent is 14 years and was equalized for both homosexual and heterosexual sex in 2001. Homosexuals are not banned from military service. There is no law against homosexuals. As an obligation for acceptance into the European Union, Estonia transposed an EU directive into its own laws banning discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment from May 1, 2004. The Equal Treatment Act, in discussion as of 2008, will prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in areas other than employment, such as health care, social security, education and the provision of goods and services. There are several gay clubs in Tallinn. Pride parades have been organized since 2004 but have met with sometimes violent right-wing homophobic opposition mobs. LGBT Travelers should check out our new Estonia Gay Lodging Directory.

 

 

Estonian council broke the law when it cut LGBTI festival funding

A victory against discrimination Organizers of an Estonian LGBTI film festival are ‘delighted’ a court ruled in their favor after they sued their local council. In February, SevenBow, the organizers of Festheart LGBTI film festival sued Rakvere City Council in northern Estonia for cutting its funding by 80%. The city’s laws dictate that its cultural… Read more »

Assessment of strategic information on men who have sex with men and trans people in Estonia

Introduction The first HIV case in Estonia was diagnosed in 1988, and since then a total of 9,711 (as of December 31, 2017). The rate of newly diagnosed cases of HIV has decreased over the last decade (from 46.0 cases per 100,000 in 2005 to 16.6 cases in 2017), but it has been quite stable… Read more »

Paata Sabelashvili on Drugs & the LGBT Community

Exclusive Interview Politicians, journalists, and civil society observers covering the theme of drug use, in conjunction with the LGBT community in Georgia, are very familiar with the ‘White Noise Movement,’ which stems from anti-drug legislations which put drug users for small offenses behind bars for years. For consuming only a small amount of marijuana, Paata… Read more »

Why Are HIV Rates on the Rise Among Europe’s Older Adults?

New research published this week in the “Lancet” shows a sharp upward trend in HIV diagnosis rates among adults over 50 in Europe. What explains this alarming increases, and how can we reduce transmission risk? Conducted by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the study examined the diagnoses rates of 31 European countries… Read more »

Estonia Civil Unions Law Takes Effect, But Gay Couples Advised To Wait

Estonia’s civil partnership law, approved in 2014, took effect on Friday, but gay and lesbian couples are being advised to hold off on exchanging vows. Passage of the law made Estonia the first former Soviet nation to recognize such unions. The new law gives straight and gay couples most of the rights afforded to married… Read more »

Estonia Approves Gay Partnership Law

Tallinn, Estonia (AP) — Estonia’s Parliament on Thursday narrowly passed legislation to legalize gay partnerships, the first such decision by a former Soviet republic. In a 40-38 vote, lawmakers approved a partnership act that recognizes the civil unions of all couples regardless of gender. Twenty-three lawmakers were absent or abstained in the third and final… Read more »

Estonia Approves Gay Partnership Law

Tallinn, Estonia (AP) — Estonia’s Parliament on Thursday narrowly passed legislation to legalize gay partnerships, the first such decision by a former Soviet republic. In a 40-38 vote, lawmakers approved a partnership act that recognizes the civil unions of all couples regardless of gender. Twenty-three lawmakers were absent or abstained in the third and final… Read more »

Estonia votes to allow gay civil partnerships

The Estonian Parliament has narrowly passed legislation to legalise gay civil partnerships. Today the bill, which recognises civil partnerships of both straight and gay couples, passed with 40 votes to 38. 23 members were absent for the vote. The legislation will take effect in 2016, and will make Estonia the first former Soviet republic to… Read more »

The Family Matter

Estonian conductor Erki Pehk and his boyfriend appeared together on the red carpet at the president’s Independence Day reception last February. It was the first time a gay couple had stepped on that carpet, and their public appearance seems to have reignited public and political debate on gay rights in Estonia. The Baltic Pride in… Read more »

Gay Estonia News & Reports

1 H.I.V. Surge Catches Tradition-Bound Estonia Off Guard 2/05 2 12 Injured as Gay Pride Marchers Attacked in Estonia 8/06 3 Attack on gay parade in Estonia prompts criminal case 8/06 4 A violent attack on a gay-pride parade 8/06 5 Mayor of London hits out at Gay Pride violence in Eastern Europe 8/06 6… Read more »