The Parliament of Albania adopted, with a unanimous vote February 4, 2010, the Anti-Discrimination Law which bans discrimination on various grounds, including sexual orientation and gender identity, listing Albania among the very few countries in Europe which explicitly ban discrimination on the grounds of gender identity.

Gay rights advocates in Albania are welcoming the partial victory of an antidiscrimination law parliament passed Thursday. The law includes protections for LGBT people, but it drops a provision to legalize same-sex marriage that drew international attention this past summer, after successful lobbying by religious and conservative right-wing groups.

The Alliance Against Discrimination, an Albanian gay rights group, hailed the antidiscrimination law as a strong start despite the loss of the marriage equality provision.

“This law is not simply a fulfilment of requirements that Albania has undertaken for European Union integration and visa liberalization,” said a statement issued by the group. “Above all, it is a victory for democracy and for human rights for all Albanians.”

Albania also goes further compared to some latest EU Member States which only ban discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation in employment and not in other areas of life.

ILGA-Europe (European branch of International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association) welcomed this development and congratulated Albanian human rights groups and LGBT activists as well as Albanian politicians for making a joint effort to tackle discrimination.