Argentina is considered one of the most LGBTQ+ friendly destinations in South America. It was the first country on the continent to legalize same-sex marriage (July 2010), which also included full adoption rights. Globally, Argentina was the 1st in South America and 10th in the world to legalize same-sex marriage. The right to change legal gender has been in place since 2012, and in the same year, legislation was introduced adding life imprisonment to hate crimes based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.