Homosexuality still illegal in much of the world
LONDON (TrustLaw) - May 17 is International Day against Homo- and Transphobia. Here is a snapshot of the state of legal rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people globally.
- Homosexuality is illegal in 76 countries, including 5 that have the death penalty (Mauritania, Sudan as well as 12 northern states in Nigeria and the southern parts of Somalia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen)
- Incitements to hatred based on sexual orientation is prohibited in just 24 countries
- Africa has gone from bad to worse in the past 10 years with 36 countries now having laws criminalising homosexuality. They are: Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon (1972), Comoros, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, São Tomé and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
- More than half of Asian and Middle Eastern countries still criminalise homosexuality but some there have been notable steps in India where gay sex was decriminalised in 2009 and Nepal and Pakistan recognising the 3rd gender. Homosexuality is illegal in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, some parts of Indonesia (South Sumatra and Aceh Province), Iran, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (internationally unrecognised), Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Yemen, as well as the Palestinian Territories
- In Latin America and the Caribbean homosexuality is illegal in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago
- None of the European countries can claim to provide full legal equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people but Cyprus, Italy, Latvia, Malta, Turkey and Ukraine are the countries ranking the lowest in terms of legal equality
SOURCE: The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association. 2011
Read more - recent TrustLaw stories on LGBTI rights:
Uganda: gays and lesbians still fearful despite legal reprieve
Lesbians in India: living a life of anonymity and isolation
FACTBOX: Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights around the world
BLOG: Can a taskforce stop the "corrective rape" of South African lesbians?
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