The State of LGBTQ Rights Globally
Pride is on the march across the globe as more and more countries recognize the freedom and rights of their LGBTQ citizens. Homosexuality is now legal in a majority of the world’s 195 nations — the latest, Botswana, joined the list June 11 — and marriage equality prevails in nearly 30 territories, covering more than a billion people.
But advances have been countered by setbacks. Last year, India’s Supreme Court finally struck down a colonial-era law criminalizing gay sex in the world’s second-most populous nation, but Kenya’s high court upheld a similar statute in May. Also last month, Taiwan became the latest territory to allow same-sex couples to wed, but just a few weeks before that, Brunei joined the roster of about a dozen countries where homosexuality can be punishable by death.
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An international outcry, led by celebrities such as George Clooney and Elton John, forced the sultan of Brunei to put a moratorium on enforcement of that horrific policy. The case offered proof that speaking out and acting up can effect change — and that it’s as vital as ever.
Countries with marriage equality
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Brazil
Canada
Colombia
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Greenland
Iceland
Ireland
Luxembourg
Malta
Mexico
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Portugal
South Africa
Spain
Sweden
Taiwan
United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland)
Uruguay
United States
Countries With Civil Unions/Partnerships
Chile
Croatia
Czech Republic
Cyprus
Ecuador
Estonia
Greece
Hungary
Italy
Northern Ireland
Slovenia
Switzerland
Countries where homosexuality is illegal
(Countries in bold are places where it can be punishable by death)
Afghanistan
Algeria
Antigua & Barbuda
Bangladesh
Barbados
Bhutan
Brunei
Burundi
Cameroon
Chad
Comoros
Cook Islands
Dominica
Egypt
Eritrea
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Gambia
Ghana
Grenada
Guinea
Guyana
Iran
Iraq
Jamaica
Kenya
Kiribati
Kuwait
Lebanon
Liberia
Libya
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mauritania
Mauritius
Morocco
Myanmar
Namibia
Nigeria (northern half of country)
Oman
Palestine
Pakistan
Papua New Guinea
Qatar
St. Kitts & Nevis
St. Lucia
St. Vincent & the Grenadines
Samoa
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Sudan
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Syria
Tanzania
Togo
Tonga
Tunisia
Turkmenistan
Tuvalu
Uganda
United Arab Emirates
Uzbekistan
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe
 |
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