Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in the U.S.

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 state of Alaska face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT

LGBT

LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...

 residents. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Alaska

Alaska

Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...

. Same-sex couples and families headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for all the protections available to opposite-sex married couples.

Laws against homosexuality

Alaska repealed its laws that criminalized homosexual activity in 1978.

Recognition of same-sex relationships

Alaska does not permit the issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The state forbids, both by statute and in its constitution, the recognition of same-sex marriages and other form of same-sex partnership solemnized in other jurisdictions. The constitutional amendment

Alaska Ballot Measure 2 (1998)

Ballot Measure 2 of 1998 is a ballot measure that added an amendment to the Alaska Constitution that prohibited the recognition of same-sex marriage in Alaska. The Ballot measure was sparked by the lawsuit filed by Jay Brause and Gene Dugan, after the two men were denied a marriage license by the...

defining marriage was approved in a voter referendum in November 1998.

Adoption and parenting

Alaska permits adoption by an unmarried adult without regard to sexual orientation. Lower state courts have allowed some second parent adoptions by homosexuals, though state court has ruled in a case where such an adoption is disputed.

Discrimination protection

Alaska law does not address discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation.

Hate crime laws

State law does not address hate crimes based on gender identity or sexual orientation.

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