The Australian Volunteers Program strives to provide a safe, supportive and equitable environment for LGBTQIA+ volunteers, approved accompanying dependents, partner organisations and all program staff. The Australian Volunteers Program has supported queer volunteers in all program countries and has ongoing connections with community organisations in many countries and regions in which the program operates.
This guide introduces a snapshot of the local context for queer and gender diverse people. LGBTQIA+ program participants must be aware of the country context before undertaking an assignment. If you are an LGBTQIA+ volunteer, you will need to:
- do your own research and understand what the local law says you can and can't do when in-country
- follow the local laws, even if you disagree with them
- be aware of the legal protections for LGBTQIA+ people in your destinations
- consider if you’re comfortable living and working in a place where you may not be able to live as openly as you can in some parts of Australia.
Language
Terminology may differ across urban and rural contexts, provinces or ethnic and cultural groups. Information sourced online can be outdated or inaccurate. For current and accurate information, please confirm with an appropriate civil society organisation (CSO) or ask your in-country team.
Legal and policy context
Same-sex sexual acts were decriminalised in Timor-Leste in 1975 and the UN Human Rights Council joint statement on Ending Acts of Violence and Related Human Rights Violations Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity was adopted in 2011. In 2013, Timor-Leste voted in favour of reducing vulnerability and eliminating discrimination based on characteristics including HIV status, sexual orientation and gender identity at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia.
Transgender individuals cannot have their gender legally recognised in identity documents. In policy guidance notes, queer couples living separately as families have not been included in the definition of Uma Kain, or households.
Discrimination
No specific legal protections exist for LGBTQIA+ people in Timor-Leste. This includes a lack of constitutional protections and national laws that protect against discrimination, laws that protect against discrimination in employment, and laws that protect against incitement to hatred, violence or discrimination based on someone’s gender and sexual identities. The regulation which prohibited discrimination in employment based on sexual orientation was repealed in 2012, leaving the current Labour Code without this prohibition.
Timor-Leste’s Constitution details that discrimination must not occur on the basis of 'gender', but no other details are specified.
In 2019, the Minister of Legislative Reform and Parliamentary Affairs called for an end to discrimination against LGBTQIA+ people saying, '[b]arbaric laws and discriminatory treatment of marginalised groups have to end'. In response to allegations made by two Members of Parliament, he announced that he would request an official inquiry into allegations of ill-treatment of disabled and LGBTQIA+ patients at the national hospital in Dili.
Cultural and societal attitudes
In Timor-Leste, Catholicism coupled with a patriarchal societal structure means LGBTQIA+ people can be hesitant to express their identities. The trans community are particularly discriminated against for their gender presentation and perceived inability to conform to gender stereotypes.
Family violence is a prevalent issue for LGBTQIA+ people and the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the levels of violence. A small study revealed that 87% of trans men, lesbians and bisexual women faced violence (including sexual assault) in the home or in community spaces. Lesbian, bisexual and trans women report needing safe spaces, with some experiencing so-called ‘corrective’ rape by family and community members. Factors that determine whether an LGBTQIA+ person is accepted include social status, education level, exposure, financial independence and gender-based dowry customs.
Since 2024, through the Ministry of Solidarity and Social Inclusion of Timor-Leste, there are legal protections against gender violence that explicitly include lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex people.
Health and wellbeing
There are no national health services that cater toward the specific needs of LGBTQIA+ people in Timor-Leste. Gay men and transgender women report poor interactions with healthcare providers, where doctors repeatedly questioned them and would not cater to their specific needs. Lesbian and bisexual women and transgender men require better resources on sexual and reproductive health rights.
Some clinics in Dili have become accessible to LGBTQIA+ people because CSOs such as CODIVA have advocated for the community and trained the health staff. Arcoiris has run a series of mental wellbeing sessions, but without adequate funding or centralised authority, CSOs cannot reach all LGBTQIA+ people in need of healthcare.
Officially, the school curriculum in Timor-Leste contains lessons on LGBTQIA+ rights, but many teachers are unaccepting of homosexuality and do not teach this content. Bullying and lack of recognition of LGBTQIA+ students leads to further problems.
Media
In general, Timor-Leste’s national media portrays LGBTQIA+ people negatively. Independent online news and blogging platforms are used by activists and allies in their advocacy work. The queer community connects and shares resources via Facebook and WhatsApp. Facebook is also used as an advocacy tool to raise awareness among people outside of the community.
'Media is good and also bad. They have a big role in narrating our stories and existence. Many media in Timor-Leste narrate LGBTQI communities negatively. There is a lot of gender training needed for our media outlets.' - Anonymous, Timor-Leste
The Pride Guides were developed in 2022 and updated in 2025 by consultants and experts based in countries in which the program operates.
