LGBT Rights in Austria

Public opinion in Austria appears to be somewhat divided on LGBTQ+ issues, as evidenced by recent studies.

Perceptions of local area as a "good place" for gay and lesbian people (2023)

Question: Is the city or area where you live a good place or not a good place to live for gay or lesbian people?

Hide being LGBTIQ at work 'often’ or ‘always' (EU) (2023)

Question: During your employment in the last 5 years, have you hidden or disguised that you are LGBTIQ from people you meet at work?

Percentage of the LBGTIQ population who have experienced a conversion practice (EU) (2023)

Question: Have you experienced any of the interventions to change your sexual orientation and/or gender identity including: intervention by family members; prayer, religious ritual or religious counselling; psychological or psychiatric treatment; medication; physical violence (such as beatings); sexual violence; verbal abuse or humiliation; other?

Approval of gay male parents (2023)

Question: Compared to growing up with heterosexual parents, do you think it is better or worse for children to grow up with gay male parents?

Approval of lesbian parents (2023)

Question: Compared to growing up with heterosexual parents, do you think it is better or worse for children to grow up with lesbian parents?

Justifiability of homosexuality (2022)

Question: Please tell me for each of the following statements whether you think it can always be justified, never be justified, or something in between.

Acceptance of homosexuals as neighbors (2022)

Question: On this list are various groups of people. Could you please mention any that you would not like to have as neighbors?

Opinion on same-sex couples as parents (2020)

Support for the right of gay and lesbian people to live freely (2020)

Question: Please say to what extent you agree or disagree with each of the following statements: Gay men and lesbians should be free to live their own life as they wish.

Acceptance of having a close gay family member (2020)

Question: Please say to what extent you agree or disagree with each of the following statements. If a close family member was a gay man or a lesbian, I would feel ashamed.

Perceived prevalence of discrimination against sexual orientation (European Union) (2019)

Question: For each of the following types of discrimination, could you please tell me whether, in your opinion, it is very widespread, fairly widespread, fairly rare or very rare in (OUR COUNTRY)? Discrimination on the basis of: Sexual orientation (being gay, lesbian, bisexual)

Perceived prevalence of discrimination against transgender people (European Union) (2019)

Question: For each of the following types of discrimination, could you please tell me whether, in your opinion, it is very widespread, fairly widespread, fairly rare or very rare in (OUR COUNTRY)? Discrimination on the basis of: Being transgender

Acceptance of same-sex relationships (European Union) (2019)

Question: To what extent do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?: There is nothing wrong in a sexual relationship between two persons of the same sex

Support for transgender people changing legal gender (European Union) (2019)

Question: Do you think that transgender persons should be able to change their civil documents to match their inner gender identity?

Acceptance of having a close gay family member (2018)

Question: Please say to what extent you agree or disagree with each of the following statements. If a close family member was a gay man or a lesbian, I would feel ashamed.

Support for the right of gay and lesbian people to live freely (2018)

Question: Please say to what extent you agree or disagree with each of the following statements: Gay men and lesbians should be free to live their own life as they wish.

Acceptance of having a close gay family member (2016)

Question: Please say to what extent you agree or disagree with each of the following statements. If a close family member was a gay man or a lesbian, I would feel ashamed.

Support for the right of gay and lesbian people to live freely (2016)

Question: Please say to what extent you agree or disagree with each of the following statements: Gay men and lesbians should be free to live their own life as they wish.

Gay, lesbian, and bisexual people should have the same rights as heterosexual people (EU) (2015)

Question: To what extent do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements? (Gay, lesbian, and bisexual people should have the same rights as heterosexual people)

There is nothing wrong in a sexual relationship between two persons of the same sex (EU) (2015)

Question: To what extent do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements? (There is nothing wrong in a sexual relationship between two persons of the same sex)

Support for same-sex marriage (EU) (2015)

Question: To what extent do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements? (Same sex marriages should be allowed throughout Europe)

Comfort with having the highest elected political position be gay, lesbian or bisexual (EU) (2015)

Question: And using a scale from 1 to 10, please tell me how you would feel having a person from each of the following groups in the highest elected political position in (OUR COUNTRY). '1' means that you would feel "not at all comfortable" and '10' that you would feel totally comfortable". A gay, lesbian, or bisexual person

Comfort working with a gay, lesbian, or bisexual colleague (EU) (2015)

Question: Regardless of whether you are actually working or not, please tell me, using a scale from 1 to 10, how comfortable you would feel if one of your colleagues at work belonged to each of the following groups? '1' means that you would feel "not at all comfortable" and '10' that you would feel "totally comfortable".A gay, lesbian or bisexual person?

Support for same-sex marriage (2014)

Support for the right of gay and lesbian people to live freely (2014)

Question: Please say to what extent you agree or disagree with each of the following statements: Gay men and lesbians should be free to live their own life as they wish.

Perceptions of local area as a "good place" for gay and lesbian people (2013)

Perceptions of local area as a "good place" for gay and lesbian people to live (2007)

Question: Is the city or area where you live a good place or not a good place to live for gay or lesbian people?

Support for the right of gay and lesbian people to live freely (2006)

Question: Please say to what extent you agree or disagree with each of the following statements: Gay men and lesbians should be free to live their own life as they wish.

Support for the right of gay and lesbian people to live freely (2004)

Question: Please say to what extent you agree or disagree with each of the following statements: Gay men and lesbians should be free to live their own life as they wish.

Support for the right of gay and lesbian people to live freely (2002)

Question: Please say to what extent you agree or disagree with each of the following statements: Gay men and lesbians should be free to live their own life as they wish.

Perception of LGBTQ+ People

Survey results from 7 LGBTQ+ Equaldex users who lived in or visited Austria.

Overall

Perceived Safety*

*Survey results represent personal perceptions of safety and may not be indicative of current actual conditions.

Equal Treatment

Visibility & Representation

Culture

Services

History

Homosexual activity in Austria

Homosexual activity in Austria is legal.

Same-sex marriage in Austria

Same-sex marriage in Austria is legal.

Censorship of LGBT issues in Austria

Censorship of LGBT issues in Austria is no censorship.

Right to change legal gender in Austria

Right to change legal gender in Austria is legal, but requires medical diagnosis.

Under Article 41 of the Civil Status Law (2013), the Civil Status Registry has the ability to alter an entry, when it has become incorrect after is it made.
In 2019, local organisation TransX.at informed ILGA World that, according to local administrative proceedings, to amend their gender markers applicants need to present one statement (in some provinces, two) by a psychologist, a psychiatrist or a psychotherapist attesting for the following facts: (1) a permanent feeling of belonging to the other gender; (2) that it is irreversible in all foresight; and (3) that measures have been taken that lead to a convergence to the outer appearance of the other gender. Gender affirmation surgeries are not necessary. The ruling against compulsory surgical interventions arises from a 2009 case before the Constitutional Court (Judgment No. 2008/17/0054) wherein it was stated that a “feeling of belonging [which] is in all likelihood irreversible and has been expressed in external terms by the person closely aligning their appearance to the external appearance of the opposite gender” is sufficient to validate gender marker change. (ILGA)