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
The most common terms to describe the queer community in Vanuatu are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (trans man or trans woman). Terms in local languages and dialects to refer to LGBTQIA+ communities are slurs when used by those outside of the community. Using the acronym LGBTQIA+ or being specific with ‘lesbian’, ‘gay’, ‘bisexual’, ‘transgender’ or ‘intersex’ is the most respectful way to refer to an individual or affirm their sexual or gender identity.
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 Information sourced online can be outdated or inaccurate.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
In 2011, Vanuatu became a signatory of the United Nation’s Joint Statement on Ending Acts of Violence and Related Human Rights Violations Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. In 2013, Vanuatu released its National Gender Equality Policy framework, which has been criticised for failing to include diverse issues. In the same year, the Minister for International Affairs, Patrick Crowby, made a statement discouraging Christian pastors from presiding over same-sex marriages because they 'go against the constitution of Vanuatu'.
Same-sex sexual acts have never been criminalised in Vanuatu. However, an exclusionary national legal framework denies the equal rights and protections of LGBTQIA+ people. Although same-sex intimacy is not criminalised, there is recent evidence of a sharp and deliberate reversal of this de facto legal tolerance. In November 2024, the Vanuatu Parliament passed an amendment to its Marriage Act, which explicitly bans same-sex marriage. The law now defines marriage as a union between a male and a female and states that same-sex marriages cannot be registered in the country, regardless of whether they are religious, civil, or traditional ceremonies. Prior to this amendment, Vanuatu's Marriage Act did not explicitly prohibit same-sex marriage, although same-sex unions were not recognised. Also in 2024, Vanuatu's Ministry of Justice and Community Services appointed a new committee to draft a national policy banning LGBTQIA+ advocacy and promotion in the country.
In May 2025, Parliament amended the constitution to recognise only two genders. While the amendments have been passed by Parliament, they will need popular support at a referendum to become law. The drivers of this regression are a powerful coalition of government officials, influential Christian bodies, and traditional chiefs, who frame their actions as a defence of Christian principles and Melanesian values against perceived foreign influence.
Discrimination
No legal protections exist for LGBTQIA+ people in Vanuatu. 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 hate crimes, incitement to hatred, violence or discrimination based on gender and/or sexual identities. However, teachers and school staff have some degree of protection, as their employers must not discriminate on the basis of gender or sexual preference. The Harmful Digital Communications Act 2024 states that a digital communication must not denigrate an individual by reason of their 'sexual orientation'.
There is no legal avenue for people to change their gender markers on their official documents. This presents barriers for transgender people using their identification to access employment and healthcare.
Cultural and societal attitudes
Religion, patriarchal values and traditional binary gender roles foster negative attitudes toward LGBTQIA+ people in Vanuatu. Social acceptance of the queer community differs across the nation; Communities on some islands, including Efafe and Espiritu Santo, are more accepting than those on smaller islands. However, verbal and physical discrimination is still rife in urban settings. LGBTQIA+ people can experience a lack of support and even violence from their family.
In 2018, a civil society coalition comprising of religious groups, local chiefs, women’s and youth groups created a petition against marriage equality after rumours that lawmakers planned to introduce a bill on the issue.
VPride is the only LGBTQIA+ CSO in Vanuatu, focusing on the cultural gender diverse identities of those assigned male at birth.
Health and wellbeing
The Asia Pacific Trans Health Blueprint training package was disseminated to government in 2018, to provide information and a resource for healthcare professionals, policymakers and community advocates on the specific health and wellbeing needs of trans communities. There are no reports on if or how the package is being used.
'As a transgender or gay person, it is very hard to get proper care. Many of us hide our identities because discrimination in health services. We only get medical help when we have to.' – Research participant.
CSO VPride holds outreach programs for groups of transgender people and men who have sex with men on sexual and reproductive health rights. They also provide sensitisation training for non-government organisations, CSOs and government agencies.
Media
Media coverage of the LGBTQIA+ community in Vanuatu is usually aimed at vilifying the community. VPride has been contributing positive stories, however they have received more traction with the international media than the national media. The government’s recent moves to ban LGBTQIA+ advocacy could impact any positive media coverage of queer issues.
Queer communities and networks tend to use Facebook to communicate.
Research and contributions provided by Kris Prasad.
The Pride Guides were developed in 2022 and updated in 2025 by consultants and experts based in countries in which the program operates.
