[1][2] Both male and female same-sex sexual activity have been legal in Finland since 1971 with "promotion" thereof decriminalized and the age of consent equalized in 1999.

Transgender individuals who are residents of Finland and also over the age of 18 years old, can legally change sex on documents and forms (i.e. on a birth certificate) - by way of self-determination, effective from April 3, 2023, with enacted legislation passed and signed formally both by the Parliament and the President respectively.

[5][6] Finland is often referred to as one of the world's most LGBT-friendly countries and public acceptance of LGBT people and same-sex relationships is high.

Registered partnerships (Finnish: rekisteröity parisuhde; Swedish: registrerat partnerskap) in Finland were created for same-sex couples in 2002.

The National Coalition voted to support same-sex marriage at its party conference in June 2010,[15] though vice-chairman of its parliamentary group Ben Zyskowicz said that a majority of NCP MPs were against it.

[23] However, according to the Left Alliance, it was agreed upon during negotiations on government formation that, if proposed by individual MPs, such a bill would be endorsed by all the other parties in the Government Coalition (the National Coalition, the Social Democrats, the Left Alliance, the Green League and the Swedish People's Party).

[24] A work group for the bill, headed by National Coalition MP Lasse Männistö, was soon launched and began operating in September 2011.

[27] According to state broadcaster Yle, the bill had a reduced chance of passing because it was submitted as a private member's bill and, therefore, had to have at least 100 signatories in order to qualify for the preparation process in a parliamentary committee – as opposed to a government proposal which goes directly to a committee and to a vote in a parliamentary plenary session.

Holmlund denied this, pointing to a number of government proposals and bills with over 100 signatory MPs which have precedence under the procedural rules.

[31] An amendment to the Finnish Constitution passed on 1 March 2012 allows for citizens' initiatives with at least 50,000 valid signatories to be considered by the Parliament.

[35][36] The bill was put for introductory debate (lähetekeskustelu) in plenary session on 20 February 2014, after which it was referred to the Legal Affairs Committee.

Previously, such couples had to carry out an intra-family adoption to be recognised as the parents of children conceived via fertility treatment.

[47] Section 8(1) of the Discrimination Act (Finnish: Yhdenvertaisuuslaki; Swedish: Diskrimineringslag)[a] reads as follows:[50] No one may be discriminated against on the basis of age, origin, nationality, language, religion, belief, opinion, political activity, trade union activity, family relationships, state of health, disability, sexual orientation or other personal characteristics.

Discrimination is prohibited, regardless of whether it is based on a fact or assumption concerning the person him/herself or another.Finnish police reported 73 violent attacks and assaults against LGBT people in 2018, a 27% increase compared to 2017.

[52] Until 2023, people wishing to have their legal gender reassigned on official documents, such as passports, birth certificates and IDs, needed to be sterilized or "for some other reason infertile".

In 2017, Sakris Kupila, a transgender activist and medical student, was denied a legal gender reassignment after refusing to undergo this process, campaigning along with Amnesty International to demand a change to the law.

According to the Centre Party, the law concerned a matter on which its representatives were allowed to vote freely based on their conscience.

[63] The Council also issued recommendations for the treatment of transgender youth, which they defined as until age 25, stating that "the first-line intervention for gender variance during childhood and adolescent years is psychosocial support and, as necessary, gender-explorative therapy and treatment for comorbid psychiatric disorders" and that medical intervention can only be given on a "case-by-case basis".

[73][74] A gay rights panel discussion that aired on Yle TV2 on 12 October, 2010 was followed by an unprecedented high number of people leaving the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland.

[7] The 2023 Eurobarometer found that 76% of Finns people thought same-sex marriage should be allowed throughout Europe, and 82% agreed that "there is nothing wrong in a sexual relationship between two persons of the same sex".

[82] Finland is often referred to as one of the most LGBT-friendly countries in the world and public acceptance of LGBT people and same-sex relationships is high.

[83] In March 2019, Finland was ranked the fourth-best LGBT-friendly travel destination in the world, tied with several other European countries, including the Netherlands, Austria, Malta and Iceland among others.

[85] These groups advocate for legal and equal rights for same-sex couples and transgender individuals through political lobbying, the dissemination of information and the organization of social and support activities.

The first public gay demonstration in Finland was held in 1981 in Helsinki under the name Liberation Days (Vapautuspäivät, Befrielsedagen).

[88][89] An estimated 100,000 people attended the 2018 Helsinki Pride parade,[69] and Prime Minister Antti Rinne participated in its 2019 edition.

[90] Sápmi Pride is held in the far north, rotating cities between Norway, Sweden and Finland every year.