"...70 countries still consider homosexuality a crime. LGBT people can be imprisoned, persecuted, discriminated against and even murdered because of their sexual orientation...The United States is not exempt."
- Lisa Anderson, Thomson Reuters Foundation Correspondent
Every week, Thomson Reuters Foundation correspondents offer distilled insight on pressing issues. Two-Minute Talking Points bring you concise commentary from the front lines of humanitarian crises, climate change, corruption and human rights.
The International Day Against Homophobia, known as IDAHO, is coming up on May 17.
In recent years, many countries have made great progress in their treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
However, 70 countries still consider homosexuality a crime. LGBT people can be imprisoned, persecuted, discriminated against and even murdered because of their sexual orientation.
The United States is not exempt. Last month, liberal Oberlin College had to cancel classes for a day due to a wave of racist and homophobic incidents that swept the campus.
But there is reason for hope. Recent polls show that over half of all Americans now say homosexuality should be supported and accepted.
Moreover, young Americans are in the vast majority on these issues. Millennials, Americans born after 1980, overwhelmingly support gay marriage at 70 percent. Seventy-five percent believe that homosexuality should be accepted.
And these young Americans now make up 27 percent of all American adults.
This number will only grow and with it, many hope, greater tolerance and support for the LGBT community.
Filming: Tim Large
Editing: Shanshan Chen
Design: Ye Li
