LGBTQ + Community Rights

LGBTQ+ people have the right to live with dignity, safety, and equality. In Puerto Rico, LGBTQ+ communities continue to face discrimination, violence, and barriers to accessing healthcare, housing, employment, and other essential services.
The ACLU of Puerto Rico works to defend LGBTQ+ rights by challenging discriminatory policies and practices, protecting equality under the law, and advocating for safe and inclusive spaces. We fight for the right of all people to live openly and free from fear of exclusion or harm.
LGBTQ+ rights are human rights. We are committed to protecting equality and freedom for all people in Puerto Rico.

LGBTQ Rights

What you need to know

2015

Marriage equality became the law in Puerto Rico, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges decision — yet discrimination and harassment persist.

65%

Nearly 2 in 3 LGBTQ+ students in Puerto Rico reported facing anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination at school.

11

At least 11 anti-LGBTQ+ legislative bills have been introduced in Puerto Rico since 2021, including attacks on trans healthcare, sports participation, inclusive bathrooms, prison placement, drag expression, and protections against discrimination.

Help Us Advance Equality for LGBTQ+ Puerto Ricans

The ACLU of Puerto Rico is pushing back against anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and working to ensure that equality under the law means equality in daily life. You can help by speaking out against discrimination, supporting inclusive policies, and sharing resources that affirm and protect the LGBTQ+ community across Puerto Rico.

Key Issues

Equality for LGBTQ+ people requires more than legal recognition — it demands cultural and institutional change. The ACLU of Puerto Rico works across sectors to ensure that LGBTQ+ people can live freely and safely in every community.

Discrimination in Employment: LGBTQ+ workers continue to face bias and harassment despite existing legal protections.

Healthcare Access: Transgender and nonbinary individuals experience systemic barriers to medical care and coverage.

Education and Visibility: LGBTQ+ students need safe, inclusive learning environments and protections from bullying.

Family Recognition: Gaps remain in adoption, parental rights, and healthcare decision-making for LGBTQ+ families.

PRIDE Puerto Rico

The Latest

Press Release
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ACLU of Puerto Rico asks Supreme Court to halt use of Law 54 against minors

The organization filed an amicus brief in a case before the highest court involving two teenagers, in which one of the parties has been prevented from attending school in person
Issue Areas: Criminal Law Reform, LGBTQ + Community Rights
Press Release
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ACLU Foundation and ACLU of Puerto Rico file amicus brief in the First Circuit to defend the right of nonbinary people to accurate identity documents

The brief urges the court to recognize that Puerto Rico’s birth certificate policy discriminates against transgender people and must be evaluated under heightened scrutiny
Issue Areas: LGBTQ + Community Rights
Press Release
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Authorized Statements Regarding the ACLU of Puerto Rico's Participation in the Puerto Rico Pride March

Issue Areas: LGBTQ + Community Rights
Press Release
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ACLU of Puerto Rico Urges Governor to Veto Senate Bill 350

In a letter addressed to Jenniffer González Colón, the organization noted that the measure creates two distinct categories of children: one that allows parents to authorize treatments if the child's identity aligns with their sex assigned at birth, and another that prohibits parents the same right if their child's identity is different.
Issue Areas: LGBTQ + Community Rights
Court Case
Mar 17, 2026

Ínaru de la Fuente Díaz v. Jenniffer González Colón et al. - Amicus ACLU F. & ACLUPR

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the ACLU of Puerto Rico filed an amicus curiae brief before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in the case of Ínaru Nadia de la Fuente Díaz v. Jenniffer A. González Colón, in support of the plaintiffs challenging the Commonwealth policy that prevents them from obtaining birth certificates reflecting an “X” gender marker for nonbinary people. Currently, the Government of Puerto Rico limits the gender marker on birth certificates to only “M” or “F,” referring to the male/female binary, but refuses to offer the “X” option even when a person has other documents or medical certifications recognizing their nonbinary gender identity. The U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico has already determined that this policy violates the right to equal protection of the laws, although it applied the most deferential standard of review, rational basis. The amicus filed by the ACLU and its Puerto Rico affiliate asks the First Circuit to affirm that decision while making clear that this policy should be evaluated under heightened scrutiny because it is based on the affected individuals’ transgender status. The brief explains that nonbinary people are a subgroup within the broader transgender community because their gender identity does not align with the sex assigned to them at birth. By specifically excluding people with a nonbinary identity from the ability to obtain accurate documents, the government subjects them to unequal treatment with real consequences in everyday life, from school or work to access to basic services and daily interactions with government agencies.