Seven striking statistics on the status of gay rights

and homophobia across the globe

By Ann M. Simmons

MAY 15, 2017, 3:00 AM

The majority of countries now allow sexual activity between consenting

adults of the same gender, and the legal recognition of same-sex marriage
is slowly spreading along with laws to protect LGBTQ people from
discrimination, according to a report published Monday.
At the same time, persecution and stigmatization remain rampant in most
countries, and equal rights for LGBTQ people are still very far from
reach, said the report released by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Trans and Intersex Assn.

To produce the report, State-Sponsored Homophobia: A World Survey of

Sexual Orientation Laws: Criminalization, Protection and Recognition,
researchers compiled data from a variety of sources on laws dealing with
sexual orientation.

Were definitely seeing some really valuable progress to the lives of LGBTI
people, but there are many threats emerging, said Aengus Carroll, an
Ireland-based human rights consultant and researcher who co-authored
the report with Argentine human rights lawyer Lucas Ramon Mendos.

The threats include morality laws and other discriminatory legislation, as

well as crackdowns on free expression about sexual orientation, Carroll
said.

Members and supporters of the LGBTQ community participate in a Pride March in Bangalore, India. (Aijaz Rahi /
Associated Press)
Here we present seven of the most telling numbers in the report.

122
The number of countries that allow homosexual acts between consenting
adults. Taiwan and Kosovo, which are not internationally recognized as
independent states, bring the number to 124. Last year, Belize and the
Seychelles became the latest nations to repeal laws criminalizing such
activity.

72
The number of countries that outlaw it. The figure is down from 75 nations
since May 2016. In 27 of the countries, the laws apply only to men. In the
rest, they apply to men and women. A third of the countries or 24 with
such laws are in Africa.

In Uganda, men suspected of being gay are sometimes subjected to forced

anal exams to prove their homosexuality, according to a report last year
by Human Rights Watch.

In some Muslim nations, moral interpretations of sharia law make

homosexual acts illegal, and individuals are then prosecuted under the
regular penal code for debauchery, scandalous acts or the like, Carroll
said.
Egypt is included in the categories of countries that both allow and outlaw
same-sex sexual activities. Thats because, although the Middle Eastern
nation does not officially have such laws on the books (such activity is
generally classified as debauchery, indecency, scandalous acts or
propagation), the state is one of the most hostile places on Earth for sexual
diversity, Carroll said. Public expression regarding sexual diversity is also
criminalized, and online activity is heavily policed.

Hundreds of gay people have been jailed in Egypt, according to Erasing 76

Crimes, a blog that focuses on the human toll of laws hostile to LGBTQ
people and the struggle to repeal them.

A man at the third annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride celebrations in Entebbe, Uganda, in 2014.
(Rebecca Vassie / Associated Press)

26
The number of countries that allow same-sex couples to adopt children that
are not biological offspring of one of the partners. In the last year, Austria,
Finland and part of Australia have passed such laws.

The United States allows adoption by gay couples. But this month, the Texas
House of Representatives approved a bill that would allow foster care and
adoption agencies to refuse to place children with families that go against
their religious beliefs, including gay couples.

The bill would need approval from the state Senate and the governors
signature to become law.

The energy of the Trump era is very much opening the gateways for this
kind of very regressive discourse, Carroll said.

Greg Roling, center, and Larry Sandal take a stroll with their 9-month-old adopted daughter, Emmersyn Julia Roling, in
Sioux Falls, S.D., in April 2017. (Jay Pickthorn / Associated Press)

25
The number of countries where it is forbidden to form, establish or register
a nongovernmental organization that focus on issues related to sexual
orientation or LGBTQ rights. Almost two dozen other countries have laws
aimed at curtailing public expression and promotion of being LGBTQ
through social media or other means.
Russia, for example, outlaws what it calls the promotion of nontraditional
values to minors, Carroll said.

A recent increase in arrests and killings of gay men in the southern Russian
republic of Chechnya has reportedly prompted many people to delete their
online social media accounts for fear of persecution.

Last month, Amnesty International called for urgent action after reports
of mass abductions and torture of gay men there.

Russian gay rights activists take part in a rally in central Moscow on May 6, 2017. (Kirill Kudryavtsev / AFP/Getty Images)

22
The number of countries that allow same-sex marriage. It includes the
United States, where in 2015 the Supreme Court ruled that it was a right.
Laws permitting such unions were enacted in Finland this year. An
additional 28 nations, as well as Taiwan, recognize some sort of civil
partnership.

People march in the Rainbow Pride parade in Tokyo on May 7, 2017. (Kazuhiro Nogi / AFP/Getty Images)

9
The number of countries, including Kosovo, that specifically mention
sexual orientation in their constitution as grounds for protection against
discrimination. Meanwhile, 72 countries have laws that forbid
discrimination in the workplace due to a persons sexual orientation, and
86 have national human rights institutions that include sexual orientation
in the issues they handle.

8
The number of United Nations member states where a person can be put to
death for participating in consensual sexual activity with someone of the
same sex. They are Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Sudan, where the
punishment is implemented statewide nation; Somalia and Nigeria, where
the penalty exists only in certain provinces; and regions of Iraq and Syria
that are held by the militant group Islamic State.

An additional five countries Pakistan, Afghanistan, Qatar, Mauritania

and the United Arab Emirates have this punishment on their books but
dont appear to impose it, according to the report. And in 14 other
countries, people engaging in such activity could face a jail sentence of 14
years to life.

ann.simmons@latimes.com

For more on global development news, see our Global Development

Watch page, and follow me @AMSimmons1 on Twitter

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UPDATES:

5:40 p.m.: An earlier version of this story stated the number of countries
that allow same-sex marriage as 23. The International Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Assn. has since updated its report to reflect the
correct number, which is 22. Slovenia does not allow same-sex marriage as
earlier reported.
Copyright 2017, Los Angeles Times