• July 8
  Ecuador

  Same-sex marriage becomes legal.

  Civil marriage between same-sex couples is already a right acquired in Ecuador. On the night of July 8, 2019, sentences 10-18-CN / 19 and 11-18-CN / 19 of the Constitutional Court were published in the Official Gazette.
• June 11
  Botswana

  Homosexual activity becomes legal.

  Botswana’s High Court has ruled in favour of decriminalising homosexuality in a landmark decision for campaigners.
• June
  Canada

  Equal age of consent becomes equal.

  Age of consent equalized to age 16.
• May 24
  Taiwan

  Same-sex marriage becomes legal.

  On 24 May 2017, the Constitutional Court ruled that the constitutional right to equality and freedom of marriage guarantees same-sex couples the right to marry under the Constitution of the Republic of China. The ruling (Judicial Yuan Interpretation No. 748) gave the Legislative Yuan two years to bring the marriage laws into compliance, after which registration of such marriages would come into force automatically. On 20 February 2019, a draft bill entitled the Enforcement Act of Judicial Yuan Interpretation No. 748 was released. The draft bill would grant same-sex married couples almost all the rights available to heterosexual married couples under the Civil Code, with the exception that it only allows adoption of a child genetically related to one of them. The Executive Yuan passed it the following day, sending it to the Legislative Yuan for fast-tracked review. The bill was passed on 17 May, signed by the President on 22 May and took effect on 24 May 2019 (the last day possible under the Court’s ruling).
• May 9
  Canada

  Blood donations by MSMs becomes banned (6-month deferral).

  Banned with 3 months deferral
• May
  Canada

  Blood donations by MSMs becomes banned (3-month deferral).

  Deferral period changed from 6 months to 3 months for MSM donors.
• March 28
  Brunei

  Homosexual activity becomes illegal (death penalty as punishment).

  Starting April 3rd, 2019, new penal code instituted by the Sultan will include death by stoning to those caught and convicted of homosexual offenses
• March 27
  Puerto Rico, United States

  Conversion therapy becomes banned.

  It was banned since 2019 by executive order due to the mental issues people suffered from these conversion therapies
• January 24
  Angola

  Same-sex marriage becomes unrecognized.

  Homosexuality was legalized on Jan 24th 2019, effectively changing the status of same sex unions
• Angola

  Homosexual activity becomes legal. Legalized after an act of parliament

  
  BY MELANIE NATHAN
  Commissionermnathan@gmail.comA
  Advocacy: African Human Rights Coalition
  Speaker: Melnathan
  Mediation: Private Courts
  Follow me on Twitter – @MelanieNathan1
  Instagram: @commissionermelnathan