LGBTQ rights in Panama

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Panama face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Panama, but same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal benefits and protections available to opposite-sex married couples. In March 2023, the Supreme Court of Panama ruled that there is no right to same-sex marriage, despite a 2018 Inter-American Court of Human Rights advisory opinion that member states should grant same-sex couples access to all existing domestic legal systems of family registration. A constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriage was approved by the National Assembly of Panama on October 29, 2019, but was withdrawn before the second vote and referendum required to bring it into force.