This report addresses compliance by the Government of Mongolia (Government) with its human rights obligations concerning individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual or gender minorities (LGBTQ+).

The lack of comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation, and the authorities’ failure to investigate and penalize violence against LGBTQ+ people, weaken the effectiveness of existing protections. LGBTQ+ individuals continue to face widespread discrimination, violence, and institutional bias. There is a pervasive fear of reporting crimes due to distrust in law enforcement, and minimal confidence in the justice system. The Government’s failure to recognize same-sex unions, denies LGBTQ+ individuals access to critical rights and benefits, further entrenching systemic inequalities.

LGBTQ+ advocates in Mongolia face significant barriers to peaceful assembly. Authorities arbitrarily deny permits, and efforts to challenge these denials in court have revealed judicial bias and derogatory rhetoric.

In this report we use the acronym LGBTQ+ to refer to individuals who self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer. These terms necessarily do not include everyone who may experience violations of their human rights on the basis of their real or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression (SOGIE), which is why we also include a “+” with the acronym. Any use of a modified acronym is intentional in that we are speaking only about certain members of the LGBTQ+ population.