List of homophobic countries around the world

Dec. 20 2016

by misterb&b

Certainly it is much easier today to be gay and to affirm oneself proudly in the street, at work. But does this apply to all countries? Far from it! Based on customs, religions or ancestral cultures, many countries in the world still sanction or even prohibit homosexuality.

Depending on the country, homosexuality can be punished by prison sentences, whether or not these sentences are enforced. Sometimes the penalties go as far as the death penalty. In some countries where homosexuality is culturally unacceptable, it is not uncommon to witness lynchings, outside of any judicial framework.

The countries of Africa and the Middle East have the largest number of gay-specific bans in the world, with 76 countries now having outright bans on homosexuality, including countries that are frequented by many gay tourists.

Homosexuality not recognized or illegal: 72 countries
Homosexuality is illegal in more than a third of the world's states.

Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Barbados, Bhutan, Botswana, Brunei, Burundi, Cameroon, Comoros, Dominica, Egypt, Ethiopiaethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guyana, Iraq, Iran, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lebanon, Liberia, Libyan Arab Jamahiriyat, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Malaysia, Malawi, Maldives, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Myanmar, Namibia, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Uganda, Uzbekistan, and the United States.negal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Syria, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Homosexuality punishable by death: 13 countries
The death penalty threatens people who have had a homosexual relationship in 13 countries, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Sudan, Nigeria, Somalia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Mauritania.

Legal gay marriage : 25 countries
Conversely, many countries have legalized same-sex marriage throughout their territory:

Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, 12 states of Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal,South Africa, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay.

These lists are based on data from the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA)