diff --git a/django/core/management/commands/loaddata.py b/django/core/management/commands/loaddata.py
index 9cd5a232fd6..05cf769489d 100644
--- a/django/core/management/commands/loaddata.py
+++ b/django/core/management/commands/loaddata.py
@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ class Command(BaseCommand):
             fixture_name = os.path.basename(fixture_name)
         else:
             fixture_dirs = self.fixture_dirs
-            if os.path.sep in fixture_name:
+            if os.path.sep in os.path.normpath(fixture_name):
                 fixture_dirs = [os.path.join(dir_, os.path.dirname(fixture_name))
                                 for dir_ in fixture_dirs]
                 fixture_name = os.path.basename(fixture_name)
diff --git a/tests/fixtures_regress/tests.py b/tests/fixtures_regress/tests.py
index c01411e1580..cc95a41b10f 100644
--- a/tests/fixtures_regress/tests.py
+++ b/tests/fixtures_regress/tests.py
@@ -857,3 +857,15 @@ class TestTicket11101(TransactionTestCase):
             self.assertEqual(Thingy.objects.count(), 1)
             transaction.set_rollback(True)
         self.assertEqual(Thingy.objects.count(), 0)
+
+
+class TestLoadFixtureFromOtherAppDirectory(TestCase):
+    """
+    #23612 -- fixtures path should be normalized to allow referencing relative
+    paths on Windows.
+    """
+    fixtures = ['fixtures_regress/fixtures/absolute.json']
+
+    def test_fixtures_loaded(self):
+        count = Absolute.objects.count()
+        self.assertGreater(count, 0, "Fixtures not loaded properly.")