1889 Homosexuality is considered a crime in the new Penal Code and punishable by a maximum of two years’ imprisonment.
1969 The first LGBT rights organization in Finland, Psyke ry, is founded.
1971 Homosexuality is decriminalized; however its ”promotion” remains illegal.
1974 SETA ry is founded.
1981 Homosexuality is removed from the national classification of diseases.
1986 Seta founds the Hiv foundation and its Aids support centres around the country.
1991 Seta is transformed into a central organisation of LGBT associations. Local Seta associations are founded in different parts of Finland.
1994 The Trans Support Centre is founded by Seta.
1995 Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is prohibited.
1999 The Criminal Code is revised, setting the age of consent equal for same-sex and straight sexual relations. The prohibition of ”promotion of homosexuality” is finally removed.
2001 The law on ”registered partnership” is adopted. The law is similar to the law on marriage, with exception for the rights to take the spouse’s surname and to adopt children.
2002 The law on gender recognition for transgender persons comes into force.
2004 The new Non-discrimination Act is adopted, prohibiting direct and indirect discrimination and harassment based on age, ethnic or national origin, citizenship, language, religion, belief, opinion, health, disability, sexual orientation or any other ground in connection to the person.
2005 The new Act on Gender Equality comes into force. The act applies also for discrimination faced by people who have undergone or will undergo gender reassignment.
2006 The law on fertility treatment is passed in the parliament. The law allows treatments also for single women and female couples. Before the law a number of clinics have provided treatments for female couples. Surrogacy becomes illegal.
2009 Internal adoption for same-sex couples becomes possible.
2011 Transvestism as a diagnosis is removed from the Finnish version of ICD-10. Sexual orientation is added to the list of bias motives in the Penal Code.
2014 The Equal Marriage Law is the first citizens’ initiative that is approved by the Finnish Parliament. The reform will force wide-ranging changes in other legislation, which will take well over a year to finalise. The law will therefore not take effect until 2016 at the earliest.
2015 The new Equality Act and Non-Discrimination Act come into force. The Equality Act now prohibits also discrimination based on gender identity and gender expression. The Ombudsman for Minorities changed into the Non-discrimination Ombudsman, who works against discrimination on all grounds.
2016 The national core curriculum of basic education includes nyt objectives: educations must add information and understantment about gender diversity.
2017 Equal marriage from 1st of March. Mandatory divorce is lifted from the trans act. Same-sex couples are treated equally in terms of social benefits.
2018 First rainbow history month in Finland.
2019 New Act on Forenames and Surnames (from the beginning of the year) improves trans rights and gives people freedom to choose a new name regardless of their gender. Maternity Act from 1st of Aprill improves rights of a child born to female couple that have gone under fertility treatment.
2023 Legal gender recocnition is based on self determination from 1st of April. It is available only for adults (Finnish citizen of living status in Finland). New Non-Discrimination Act 1st of June: equality planning expands to child daycare units, harrasment towards sexual minorities and rainbow families as a group is banned, Non-discrimination Ombudsman supervises the implementation of rights in working life.