WanderSafe — LGBTQ+ Travel Safety
Baghdad, Iraq
On April 27-28, 2024, Iraq's parliament amended the 1988 Anti-Prostitution Law to explicitly criminalize consensual same-sex relations (10 to 15 years in prison), the undefined 'promotion of homosexuality' (7 years and a fine), and gender-affirming medical care or 'imitating women' (1 to 3 years); the President signed it and it entered into force on July 1, 2024, marking a major escalation that codifies what was previously prosecuted under vague morality provisions. Beyond the law, armed militias and death squads have killed and abducted LGBTQ people with near-total impunity, documented by Human Rights Watch, IraQueer, and ILGA Asia, so the lived risk far exceeds the statute. There is no legal gender recognition and gender-affirming care is now criminal, putting trans and gender-nonconforming travelers at acute danger. Islam is the official state religion and the Penal Code criminalizes blasphemy (up to three years); religious and ethnic minorities (Christians, Yazidis, and others) continue to suffer the aftermath of the ISIS genocide alongside sectarian Sunni-Shia tensions, and USCIRF places Iraq on its Special Watch List. The US State Department maintains a Level 4 'Do Not Travel' advisory citing terrorism, kidnapping, armed conflict, and civil unrest, and ordered the departure of non-emergency US government personnel in March 2026; there is no safe visible LGBTQ+ community, no Pride, and no openly operating local LGBTQ+ organizations, so travelers must rely on strict discretion and international resources contacted from outside the country.
Baghdad, Iraq is rated High Risk for LGBTQ+ travelers. Same-sex relations may be criminalized. Read the full assessment below before traveling.
Safety by Community
Confidence C · LGBTQ+ data as of 2026-06-18
- LGBTQ+ 6 (High Risk)
- Trans 3 (High Risk)
- HIV+ 9 (High Risk)
- Neurodivergent — not yet scored ⚠
- Blind / Low-vision — not yet scored ⚠
- Deaf / HoH — not yet scored ⚠
- Mobility — not yet scored ⚠
- Chronic illness — not yet scored
- Religious minorities 28 (High Risk)
Travel Warnings
Taboo topics: serious restriction
Blasphemy, insulting religion, and LGBTQ+ expression are criminalized — a 2024 law explicitly criminalized same-sex relations and 'promotion of homosexuality' with up to 15 years. Criticizing powerful militias or clerics carries serious physical risk. Know this before you travel.
Source: https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/iraq/ · verified 2026-06-18
Photography restrictions: serious restriction
Photographing military, government, checkpoints, police, and infrastructure is prohibited and can lead to detention by security forces or militias. Security sensitivities are high nationwide. Know this before you travel.
Source: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Iraq.html · verified 2026-06-18
Accessibility barrier: text-to-911
Iraqi emergency numbers (104 police, 122 ambulance, 115 civil defense) are voice-based; there is no text-to-emergency or RTT service for the general public, mapping to 'no.' Plan around this before you travel.
Source: https://moi.gov.iq/ · verified 2026-06-18
Accessibility barrier: step-free public transit
Baghdad has no metro or modern mass-transit network; public transport relies on buses, shared taxis, and informal minibuses that are not designed for step-free or wheelchair access, and street-level transit is largely inaccessible. This maps to 'no.' Plan around this before you travel.
Source: https://www.amanatbaghdad.gov.iq/ · verified 2026-06-18
Accessibility barrier: guide-dog entry
Dogs face strict import controls and significant cultural and practical barriers in Iraq, and there is no recognized assistance/guide-dog access framework guaranteeing entry to public spaces; guide-dog import faces permit friction and venue refusal, mapping to 'no.' Plan around this before you travel.
Source: https://www.ziraa.gov.iq/ · verified 2026-06-18
Police response during a crisis: documented risk
There is no mental-health co-responder model, and security forces/armed actors are a documented risk for people behaving atypically in public, especially where behavior could be read as gender nonconformity or a public-decency/morality violation under the 2024 law. With no specialized crisis training and elevated baseline risk, this maps to 'no' (risk floor).
Source: https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/05/20/iraq-repeal-anti-lgbt-law · verified 2026-06-18
Legal Status
Until 2024 Iraq had no statute explicitly criminalizing homosexuality; authorities instead used vague 'public morality,' indecency, and incitement provisions to prosecute and harass LGBTQ people. That changed on April 27-28, 2024, when parliament passed amendments to the 1988 Law on Combating Prostitution that explicitly criminalize same-sex relations and gender-affirming care; the President signed the law and it entered into force on July 1, 2024. The figures and categories below are drawn from the Library of Congress Global Legal Monitor, Human Rights Watch, ILGA Asia, the Human Dignity Trust, and US State Department reporting. Earlier draft versions of the bill would have imposed the death penalty for same-sex relations; that provision did not appear in the final law, but prison terms of 10 to 15 years did.
How these scores are computed
- Legal 0 — derived from 8 verified indicators (100% coverage)
- Safety 0 — derived from 6 verified indicators (100% coverage)
- Community 0 — derived from 5 verified indicators (100% coverage)
- Infrastructure 0 — derived from 7 verified indicators (100% coverage)
Anchors, weights, and the full formula are published in the methodology.
Emergency Contacts
104
122
115
+964-(0)-770-921-2185 · www.gov.uk/world/organisations/british-embassy-baghdad
rainbowrailroad.org
www.iraqueer.org
outrightinternational.org
www.humandignitytrust.org
Identity-Specific Guidance
Trans Women
Extreme danger. Gender-affirming care and 'imitating women' criminalized since 2024; no legal recognition; militia targeting with impunity.
Iraq has no legal gender recognition, and the April 2024 law makes 'imitating women' and gender-affirming medical care crimes punishable by 1 to 3 years; same-sex relations carry 10 to 15 years. Beyond the law, armed militias have abducted and killed trans and gender-nonconforming people with impunity, and security forces and armed actors use apps to entrap and locate targets. Trans women are highly visible and acutely exposed at checkpoints, in public, and wherever documents are checked. Travel is strongly discouraged; the country is under a Level 4 'Do Not Travel' advisory. If unavoidable: do not carry documents reflecting a transition, present consistently with your documents, do not bring visible HRT without neutrally framed prescription documentation, use a VPN, carry no photos or apps that reveal your identity, and contact Rainbow Railroad from outside Iraq before travel for a current risk assessment.
Trans Men
Extreme danger. No legal recognition; gender-affirming care criminalized; militia violence and 10-15 year same-sex penalties.
There is no legal pathway to change gender markers in Iraq, and as of July 2024 gender-affirming care is a crime (1-3 years). Documents inconsistent with perceived gender create immediate legal jeopardy at checkpoints, hotels, and stops, and armed actors target gender-nonconforming people with impunity. Same-sex relations carry 10 to 15 years. Travel is strongly discouraged under the Level 4 advisory. If unavoidable: keep documents consistent with presentation, avoid dating apps and any identifying device content, use a VPN, do not disclose trans status to providers or officials, and contact Rainbow Railroad from outside Iraq before travel.
Gay Men
Extreme danger. Same-sex relations criminalized (10-15 years) since 2024; militia killings with impunity; app entrapment.
Iraq's April 2024 law explicitly criminalizes same-sex relations with 10 to 15 years' imprisonment and the undefined 'promotion of homosexuality' with 7 years. Beyond prosecution, armed militias and death squads have abducted, tortured, and killed gay and bisexual men with effective impunity, frequently using dating and social-media apps to entrap and locate targets. Travel is strongly discouraged under the Level 4 'Do Not Travel' advisory. If you must travel: assume devices and communications may be examined or used to target you, avoid all dating apps, carry nothing identifying, use a VPN, do not discuss your identity with anyone, and never attempt to attend underground events. Contact international organizations from outside Iraq beforehand.
Lesbian & Bi Women
Extreme danger. Same-sex relations criminalized (10-15 years); 'promotion' and gender nonconformity penalized; militia and family/tribal threats.
Female same-sex relations are criminalized under the April 2024 law (10-15 years), and the undefined 'promotion of homosexuality' carries 7 years. Strict gender norms, family and tribal control of women, and the risk of so-called honor violence add danger for women perceived as gender-nonconforming or in same-sex relationships, on top of militia targeting and a Level 4 security environment. Travel is strongly discouraged. If unavoidable: keep relationships invisible, avoid dating apps and identifying device content, use a VPN, do not disclose your identity, and contact OutRight International, IraQueer, or Rainbow Railroad from outside Iraq before travel.
Nonbinary Travelers
Extreme danger. No recognition; 'imitating women' and gender-affirming care criminalized; high militia and checkpoint risk.
Iraq enforces a strict legal gender binary with no recognition of nonbinary identities, and the 2024 law criminalizes 'imitating women' and gender-affirming care (1-3 years); same-sex relations carry 10 to 15 years. Any presentation read as gender-nonconforming raises risk at checkpoints, in public, and where documents are checked, and armed actors target gender-nonconforming people with impunity. Travel is strongly discouraged under the Level 4 advisory. If unavoidable: present consistently with your identity documents, carry nothing identifying, use a VPN, do not disclose your identity to anyone, and contact Rainbow Railroad from outside Iraq before travel for a current risk assessment.