Faroe Islands

Legislation

In the Faroe Islands, there have been several changes to legislation in the LGBTI field over the past ten years. These developments have mainly been driven by individual members of the Faroese parliament, Lagtinget.

The Nordic Council of Ministers’ 2020 publication Kartläggning och analys av LGBTI-området i Norden (Mapping and analysis of LGBTI issues in the Nordic region) describes several of the rights reforms implemented during the 20th and 21st centuries. Since 2017, civil same-sex marriages have been permitted, and since 2021, parents in same-sex (female) relationships have had equal rights to those in opposite-sex relationships. Hate crime legislation has included sexual orientation since 2006 but does not include discrimination on the grounds of gender identity. There is a lack of protection against discrimination for LGBTI people in the workplace, in schools and in healthcare.

In several areas, LGBTI people in the Faroe Islands still lack rights. The Faroe Islands responsible for family and social legislation, which has meant that rights reforms implemented in Denmark have been ratified much later in the Faroe Islands. Same-sex couples do not have the same right to assisted reproduction as heterosexual couples; instead, they must seek treatment abroad and pay for it themselves. It is also not possible to change one’s legal gender in the Faroe Islands, and treatment with gender-affirming hormones requires care in Denmark – care that the individual must pay for themselves.

Policy and key factors

Civil society

Civil society organisations have an important role in the LGBTI community in the Faroe Islands. Two local organisations in particular stand out in their work to raise awareness of the conditions faced by LGBTI people and to push for extended rights: Amnesty International Føroyar and LGBT+ Føroyar.

Amnesty International Føroyar is the Faroe Islands’ oldest civil society organisation, founded in 1965 in Tórshavn. It has two staff members and works to ensure that LGBTI people in the Faroe Islands can live free and secure lives without discrimination or injustice. This work has yielded tangible results. The organisation was one of the driving forces behind the legalisation of same-sex marriage and is now continuing its work on issues such as the right to legal gender reassignment. Amnesty International Føroyar was the initiator behind the formation of the organisation LGBT+ Føroyar.

The first Pride parade in the Faroe Islands was held in 2005, but it would be another few years before the Faroe Islands also got its first dedicated LGBTI organisation. In 2011, LGBT+ Føroyar was formed, with over 100 participants attending its first founding meeting. LGBT+ Føroyar engages in advocacy work and supports LGBTI people by, among other things, offering advice on issues such as coming out and dealing with family reactions, as well as organising film nights and open meetings.

The Nordic House in the Faroe Islands NLH, is the Faroe Islands’ largest cultural producer, staging more than 400 events annually. NLH is committed to LGBTI issues through art and culture, including several performing arts productions on the theme. They have participated in Faroe Islands Pride since its inception in 2005 and make their cultural centre available for events during the festival. They have on several occasions taken part in debates regarding the conditions faced by LGBTI people and have at times faced criticism for this.

Nordic cooperation

Through the Nordic Gender Equality Fund and the Nordic LGBTI Fund, the Nordic Council of Ministers funds collaborations that promote equal rights and opportunities for LGBTI people. Each year, the fund allocates resources to projects in which at least three different organisations from at least three different Nordic countries collaborate. The projects can, for example, contribute to the exchange of experiences, new knowledge and Nordic networks. Organisations from the Faroe Islands have participated in two collaborative projects:

Miðnám í Vestmanna is an educational institution in the Faroe Islands that runs the Tilfeingisbreyt (the Resource Line) upper secondary programme. Together with an Icelandic and a Swedish partner, they are carrying out a collaborative project funded by the Nordic LGBTI Fund 2023, Developing training program to support LGBTI wellness in school. The project highlights how LGBTI children and young people in small rural communities are particularly vulnerable. By providing teachers and school staff with training to combat prejudice, exclusion and marginalisation of pupils, the aim is to improve the well-being of pupils who identify as LGBTI.

The Faroese LGBTI organisation LGBT+ Føroyar was one of 11 organisations participating in the project LGBTI and Ageing in the Nordic Countries. The project received funding from the Nordic LGBTI Fund in 2023 and culminated in a conference and network. Within the network, LGBTI organisations and other relevant stakeholders can exchange knowledge and experiences of bringing together older LGBTI people, collaborate and support one another in the work to include the LGBTI perspective in policy processes that are specifically relevant to older people.