Your nation's name as you'd like it to appear on the index (usually does not include pretitle) Voipel
Your nation's current year 2022
Your nation's IC population 12.1 million
Would you like to receive a TG updating you when your nation has been scored? Sure
Please confirm you are a human nation! Yup, most definitely.
You may request a breakdown of your score via TG once it is processed. Note that any requests for breakdowns or additional information are only processed when the queue of submissions is empty.
Section One - Legally Enforcable Rights
Expanding on answers past "yes/no" is appreciated where possible/applicable.
1/ Are your nation's citizens permitted to marry or form civil unions with those of the same sex? Yes
2/ Are persons in same-sex relationships permitted to adopt or otherwise raise children? Yes, adoption is legal if they're married (the same applies for hetero couples); raising children as a godparent etc. is also permitted even if unmarried.
3/ Are your nation's LGBT+ citizens protected by hate speech and general anti-discrimination legislation? Yes
4/ Do your nation's citizens have the right to withhold goods and/or services from LGBT+ people? Not on that basis/reasoning. However, most (non-essential) businesses are ofc allowed to withhold goods or services from basically anyone they please based on domestic authority laws, so there's a certain grey area.
5/ Do citizens who are gender transitioning have the right to alter their legal name(s) and documents? If so, how difficult is this process? Yes. However, proof must be provided that the applicant has undergone private counselling regarding the matter (this does not include details of the counselling in question). Beyond that it's just a formality.
6/ Are there large national and/or regional pro-LGBT+ groups within your nation? Kinda; the LGBT+ scene is fairly organized in the more urban regions in the south and there exists a sizable and very well connected Civil & Human Rights Watch. In addition, the government has started introducing openly LGBT+ supportive policies to its own youth organizations since 2000.
7/ If yes, do these groups and the individuals associated with them have the right to free assembly and/or public protest? Yes
8/ Do your nation's LGBT+ individuals and groups have the right to free speech both in person and online? Yes
9/ Are your nation's LGBT+ citizens protected from discrimination in the workplace, during education, and while using public services? Yes
10/ Are your nation's trans citizens specifically banned from participating in sporting activities based on their preferred gender identity? No, however they're likely to get excluded from rankings in competitions if there's reason to assume they unfairly benefit from their trans status in said competitions.
Section Two - Government Stances on LGBT+ Issues
Expanding on answers past "yes/no" is appreciated where possible/applicable.
1/ Are LGBT+ topics covered in your nation's education system? Please give details. Yes, mandatory sex ed includes an overview about/an introduction into LGBT both in biological and social studies class in 8th grade (student age around 14), repeated and deepened in 11th. All state-run universities also celebrate Pride Month.
2/ Are LGBT+ voices taken into account when legislation is being developed and debated within your nation's legal system? When it comes to legislation directly involving LGBT+ matters experts/members of the community will most likely get invited to the princely and popular council as advisors. (Ofc LGBT+ people are also free to run for office or petition the legislature, so their voices are as valuable as every citizen's).
3/ Does your nation take refugees from other countries who are persecuted on the basis of their sexual or gender identity? Yes
4/ Does your nation's armed forces (or equivalent) allow LGBT+ people entry? Yes
5/ If yes, are they permitted to be open about their gender or sexual identity? Yes
6/ Does your government recognise "X" or an equivalent non-binary gender identity on official documentation? No
7/ Does your nation's legal system recognise the "trans panic" and/or "gay panic" defence(s) as valid? No
8/ Does your government allow pride flags to be flown alongside the national flag at official events and ceremonies? Yes, in fact it regularly is.
9/ Does your government allow discussion and debate of LGBT+ issues within its legislature? Yes
10/ Does your government recognise LGBT+ charities as valid and allow tax-deductable donations? They're subject to government scrutiny as every other organization but if their cause is found to be fair and in fact charitable then yes, ofc.
Section Three - Healthcare:
Expanding on answers past "yes/no" is appreciated where possible/applicable.
1/ Do your nation's LGBT+ citizens have access to specialist sexual health services? Yes
2/ (If applicable) Which aspects of gender transition are covered by your nation's healthcare system? All that are deemed necessary and reasonable for the individuals well-being, including full transitional therapy and surgery.
3/ Do your nation's trans citizens have access to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and/or sexual reassignment surgery (SRS)? Yes
4/ Are your nation's trans citizens required to go through "real life experience" (RLE) before having access to treatment? No, there's no legal requirement to do so.
5/ Are your nation's citizens permitted to import their own medication for the purposes of hormone replacement therapy (HRT)? No
6/ What your nation's age of majority when making decisions regarding HRT and SRS? 18
7/ Do your nation's trans citizens have access to puberty blockers? If so, from what age are they available? Yes. While debate is ongoing, currently they won't be administered to children under the age of 16.
8/ Is pre and post-transition physical and mental healthcare available to your nation's trans citizens? Yes ('pre' is required, 'post' is strongly encouraged).
9/ Do your nation's trans citizens have access to other gender-affirming healthcare and resources? Yes
10/ Are medical professionals or teaching staff required to "out" LGBT youth to their parents if they are below the age of majority? No
Section Four - Societal Attitudes
Expanding on answers past "yes/no" is appreciated where possible/applicable.
1/ What percentage of your nation's citizens support same-sex marriage? ~ 85%
2/ What percentage of your nation's citizens support same-sex adoption? ~ 58%
3/ What percentage of your nation's citizens support peoples' right to transition? ~ 83%
4/ Is there a taboo or stigma surrounding the discussion of LGBT+ issues in your nation? No, at least in most areas.
5/ Are LGBT+ citizens in your nation commonly subjected to discrimination online and/or in person? No, not in particular.
6/ If pride parades or similar occur in your nation, are they met with counter-marches or other resistance? The last non-minuscule counter-march occured in 2001; in urban areas counter-movements basically died out.
7/ If applicable to your dialect(s), are your nation's citizens generally accepting of someone's pronouns when they transition? Voipel's national language features a 'non-specific' or 'all-including' grammatical gender which is usually used; neo-pronouns are not generally accepted.
8/ Are the major religious groups within your nation generally accepting of LGBT+ people and their lifestyles? Most are definitely 'more reserved' about that topic but open hostility and intolerance towards LGBT+ people has been declared unacceptable by all major religious organizations in the nation.
9/ How prevalent are gender-neutral bathrooms/restrooms in your nation? They're pretty common, although sometimes out of mere practicality.
10/ What are the opinions on LGBT+ issues from your nation's academia? While some more critical voices exist, the academic climate is by and large very pro LGBT+ with some prominent figures being part of the community themselves. The academic support tends to be more moderate in nature though.
Section Five - Media and Political Representation
Expanding on answers past "yes/no" is appreciated where possible/applicable.
1/ Are there prominent pro-LGBT+ media figures in your nation's news and entertainment sphere? If so, how popular are they? Yes; as with most media figures, popularity varies. One of the nations' most popular talk show hosts is bisexual.
2/ Are there prominent anti-LGBT+ media figures in your nation's news and entertainment sphere? If so, how popular are they? No, being openly anti-LGBT+ would probably tank their popularity seing the general societal climate.
3/ Are there prominent LGBT+ role models for young people displayed in your nation's media? Yes, LGBT+ people are featured in a variety of shows directed towards children, teenagers and young adults.
4/ Are LGBT+ people able to see relateable characters in your nation's prominent works of fiction? Yes, one would hope so.
5/ Does support for LGBT+ people vary greatly depending on the region/state you live in? Do laws differ greatly? Support in more rural regions, especially in the far north with strong, more traditionalistic local communities, tends to be lower but is on the increase; this, however, does not reflect in legislature.
6/ Do explicitly pro-LGBT+ parties exist in your nation's political sphere? If so, what support do they have? N/A since political parties are not recognized/banned.
7/ Do explicitly anti-LGBT+ parties exist in your nation's political sphere? If so, what support do they have? see above
8/ Are there prominent politicians or public servants who are openly LGBT+? Yes, the most prominent being Andrey, brother of Voipel's reigning monarch Grand Prince Timofey. Andrey is happily married to another man and played an important part in promoting LGBT+ acceptance in the more conservative portions of Voipelian society.
9/ Are there prominent pro-LGBT+ voices within your nation's ruling party? Not really applicable (see 5.6), but there certainly are pro-LGBT+ voices in the national government, even more as members of the councils and some as part of the nobility, including the royal family, as seen above.
10/ Are LGBT+ people permitted to run for election or your nation's equivalent political process? Are they permitted to lead the nation? They're permitted to run for election and get summoned to the highest positions of government. However, in the end the country is lead by the Grand Prince (who could be LGBT+, but would need to secure the succession).
(OPTIONAL) - More information
We would appreciate filling in as much of this information as possible. However, this is not required to receive a complete score, and filling this information out will not change your score in any way. This information may be used by us for research and other survey-wide analysis purposes.
What is the approximate ethnic makeup of your nation? (in percentages) 85% Schutians, 8% Finno-Ugric peoples, 4.5% Russians, 1.5% Turkic people, 1% Other
How many official languages are there in your nation? What are these? One official language: Schutian. Various minority languages are official languages of autonomous regions.
What is the political position of your nation's ruling Government? N/A
What type of Government does your country have? Partially described in the questionnaire; constitutional monarchy with meritocratic de-facto government and limited democratic representation.
What percentage of the population is estimated to be LGBT+? ~ 6%
(OOC) Which real life nation would you describe yours as being most similar to? Still very hard to say... Norway maybe?
END
Are you satisfied with this index? Largely
Any suggestions or comments on how to improve? I think there's room for some even more detailed questions (e.g. regarding blood donations).
Your nation's current year 2022
Your nation's IC population 12.1 million
Would you like to receive a TG updating you when your nation has been scored? Sure
Please confirm you are a human nation! Yup, most definitely.
You may request a breakdown of your score via TG once it is processed. Note that any requests for breakdowns or additional information are only processed when the queue of submissions is empty.
Section One - Legally Enforcable Rights
Expanding on answers past "yes/no" is appreciated where possible/applicable.
1/ Are your nation's citizens permitted to marry or form civil unions with those of the same sex? Yes
2/ Are persons in same-sex relationships permitted to adopt or otherwise raise children? Yes, adoption is legal if they're married (the same applies for hetero couples); raising children as a godparent etc. is also permitted even if unmarried.
3/ Are your nation's LGBT+ citizens protected by hate speech and general anti-discrimination legislation? Yes
4/ Do your nation's citizens have the right to withhold goods and/or services from LGBT+ people? Not on that basis/reasoning. However, most (non-essential) businesses are ofc allowed to withhold goods or services from basically anyone they please based on domestic authority laws, so there's a certain grey area.
5/ Do citizens who are gender transitioning have the right to alter their legal name(s) and documents? If so, how difficult is this process? Yes. However, proof must be provided that the applicant has undergone private counselling regarding the matter (this does not include details of the counselling in question). Beyond that it's just a formality.
6/ Are there large national and/or regional pro-LGBT+ groups within your nation? Kinda; the LGBT+ scene is fairly organized in the more urban regions in the south and there exists a sizable and very well connected Civil & Human Rights Watch. In addition, the government has started introducing openly LGBT+ supportive policies to its own youth organizations since 2000.
7/ If yes, do these groups and the individuals associated with them have the right to free assembly and/or public protest? Yes
8/ Do your nation's LGBT+ individuals and groups have the right to free speech both in person and online? Yes
9/ Are your nation's LGBT+ citizens protected from discrimination in the workplace, during education, and while using public services? Yes
10/ Are your nation's trans citizens specifically banned from participating in sporting activities based on their preferred gender identity? No, however they're likely to get excluded from rankings in competitions if there's reason to assume they unfairly benefit from their trans status in said competitions.
Section Two - Government Stances on LGBT+ Issues
Expanding on answers past "yes/no" is appreciated where possible/applicable.
1/ Are LGBT+ topics covered in your nation's education system? Please give details. Yes, mandatory sex ed includes an overview about/an introduction into LGBT both in biological and social studies class in 8th grade (student age around 14), repeated and deepened in 11th. All state-run universities also celebrate Pride Month.
2/ Are LGBT+ voices taken into account when legislation is being developed and debated within your nation's legal system? When it comes to legislation directly involving LGBT+ matters experts/members of the community will most likely get invited to the princely and popular council as advisors. (Ofc LGBT+ people are also free to run for office or petition the legislature, so their voices are as valuable as every citizen's).
3/ Does your nation take refugees from other countries who are persecuted on the basis of their sexual or gender identity? Yes
4/ Does your nation's armed forces (or equivalent) allow LGBT+ people entry? Yes
5/ If yes, are they permitted to be open about their gender or sexual identity? Yes
6/ Does your government recognise "X" or an equivalent non-binary gender identity on official documentation? No
7/ Does your nation's legal system recognise the "trans panic" and/or "gay panic" defence(s) as valid? No
8/ Does your government allow pride flags to be flown alongside the national flag at official events and ceremonies? Yes, in fact it regularly is.
9/ Does your government allow discussion and debate of LGBT+ issues within its legislature? Yes
10/ Does your government recognise LGBT+ charities as valid and allow tax-deductable donations? They're subject to government scrutiny as every other organization but if their cause is found to be fair and in fact charitable then yes, ofc.
Section Three - Healthcare:
Expanding on answers past "yes/no" is appreciated where possible/applicable.
1/ Do your nation's LGBT+ citizens have access to specialist sexual health services? Yes
2/ (If applicable) Which aspects of gender transition are covered by your nation's healthcare system? All that are deemed necessary and reasonable for the individuals well-being, including full transitional therapy and surgery.
3/ Do your nation's trans citizens have access to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and/or sexual reassignment surgery (SRS)? Yes
4/ Are your nation's trans citizens required to go through "real life experience" (RLE) before having access to treatment? No, there's no legal requirement to do so.
5/ Are your nation's citizens permitted to import their own medication for the purposes of hormone replacement therapy (HRT)? No
6/ What your nation's age of majority when making decisions regarding HRT and SRS? 18
7/ Do your nation's trans citizens have access to puberty blockers? If so, from what age are they available? Yes. While debate is ongoing, currently they won't be administered to children under the age of 16.
8/ Is pre and post-transition physical and mental healthcare available to your nation's trans citizens? Yes ('pre' is required, 'post' is strongly encouraged).
9/ Do your nation's trans citizens have access to other gender-affirming healthcare and resources? Yes
10/ Are medical professionals or teaching staff required to "out" LGBT youth to their parents if they are below the age of majority? No
Section Four - Societal Attitudes
Expanding on answers past "yes/no" is appreciated where possible/applicable.
1/ What percentage of your nation's citizens support same-sex marriage? ~ 85%
2/ What percentage of your nation's citizens support same-sex adoption? ~ 58%
3/ What percentage of your nation's citizens support peoples' right to transition? ~ 83%
4/ Is there a taboo or stigma surrounding the discussion of LGBT+ issues in your nation? No, at least in most areas.
5/ Are LGBT+ citizens in your nation commonly subjected to discrimination online and/or in person? No, not in particular.
6/ If pride parades or similar occur in your nation, are they met with counter-marches or other resistance? The last non-minuscule counter-march occured in 2001; in urban areas counter-movements basically died out.
7/ If applicable to your dialect(s), are your nation's citizens generally accepting of someone's pronouns when they transition? Voipel's national language features a 'non-specific' or 'all-including' grammatical gender which is usually used; neo-pronouns are not generally accepted.
8/ Are the major religious groups within your nation generally accepting of LGBT+ people and their lifestyles? Most are definitely 'more reserved' about that topic but open hostility and intolerance towards LGBT+ people has been declared unacceptable by all major religious organizations in the nation.
9/ How prevalent are gender-neutral bathrooms/restrooms in your nation? They're pretty common, although sometimes out of mere practicality.
10/ What are the opinions on LGBT+ issues from your nation's academia? While some more critical voices exist, the academic climate is by and large very pro LGBT+ with some prominent figures being part of the community themselves. The academic support tends to be more moderate in nature though.
Section Five - Media and Political Representation
Expanding on answers past "yes/no" is appreciated where possible/applicable.
1/ Are there prominent pro-LGBT+ media figures in your nation's news and entertainment sphere? If so, how popular are they? Yes; as with most media figures, popularity varies. One of the nations' most popular talk show hosts is bisexual.
2/ Are there prominent anti-LGBT+ media figures in your nation's news and entertainment sphere? If so, how popular are they? No, being openly anti-LGBT+ would probably tank their popularity seing the general societal climate.
3/ Are there prominent LGBT+ role models for young people displayed in your nation's media? Yes, LGBT+ people are featured in a variety of shows directed towards children, teenagers and young adults.
4/ Are LGBT+ people able to see relateable characters in your nation's prominent works of fiction? Yes, one would hope so.
5/ Does support for LGBT+ people vary greatly depending on the region/state you live in? Do laws differ greatly? Support in more rural regions, especially in the far north with strong, more traditionalistic local communities, tends to be lower but is on the increase; this, however, does not reflect in legislature.
6/ Do explicitly pro-LGBT+ parties exist in your nation's political sphere? If so, what support do they have? N/A since political parties are not recognized/banned.
7/ Do explicitly anti-LGBT+ parties exist in your nation's political sphere? If so, what support do they have? see above
8/ Are there prominent politicians or public servants who are openly LGBT+? Yes, the most prominent being Andrey, brother of Voipel's reigning monarch Grand Prince Timofey. Andrey is happily married to another man and played an important part in promoting LGBT+ acceptance in the more conservative portions of Voipelian society.
9/ Are there prominent pro-LGBT+ voices within your nation's ruling party? Not really applicable (see 5.6), but there certainly are pro-LGBT+ voices in the national government, even more as members of the councils and some as part of the nobility, including the royal family, as seen above.
10/ Are LGBT+ people permitted to run for election or your nation's equivalent political process? Are they permitted to lead the nation? They're permitted to run for election and get summoned to the highest positions of government. However, in the end the country is lead by the Grand Prince (who could be LGBT+, but would need to secure the succession).
(OPTIONAL) - More information
We would appreciate filling in as much of this information as possible. However, this is not required to receive a complete score, and filling this information out will not change your score in any way. This information may be used by us for research and other survey-wide analysis purposes.
What is the approximate ethnic makeup of your nation? (in percentages) 85% Schutians, 8% Finno-Ugric peoples, 4.5% Russians, 1.5% Turkic people, 1% Other
How many official languages are there in your nation? What are these? One official language: Schutian. Various minority languages are official languages of autonomous regions.
What is the political position of your nation's ruling Government? N/A
What type of Government does your country have? Partially described in the questionnaire; constitutional monarchy with meritocratic de-facto government and limited democratic representation.
What percentage of the population is estimated to be LGBT+? ~ 6%
(OOC) Which real life nation would you describe yours as being most similar to? Still very hard to say... Norway maybe?
END
Are you satisfied with this index? Largely
Any suggestions or comments on how to improve? I think there's room for some even more detailed questions (e.g. regarding blood donations).
