One-third of the world still criminalizes same-sex acts; specifically, 62 of the 193 member states of the United Nations (UN) still have laws punishing consensual same-sex relations, with a dozen countries imposing the death penalty for LGBTQIA partnerships.
This is according to a report from the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA), which called this “trend” as “extremely concerning,” according ILGA director Julia Ehrt.
The report similarly noted that still in one-third of these countries, there are legal roadblocks to operating organizations “openly advocating the rights of LGBTI people”, which ILGA credited for giving rise to censorship, arrests, and prosecution for the “promotion” of homosexuality.
Uganda, as an example, imposed penalties of up to life in prison for consensual same-sex relations, with those charged with “aggravated homosexuality” punishable by death. And earlier in 2024, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan and Uganda formally implemented legal provisions against the “promotion” of homosexuality, following Russia that categorized the “international LGBT movement” as “extremist”.
“Even talking about our lives in public is becoming increasingly difficult in a growing number of states,” said Ehrt.
Fortunately, there were some pro-LGBTQIA developments in the past 16 months, including: four UN member states authorized same-sex marriage (and so there are now 35 UN countries and Taiwan that recognize LGBTQIA relationships); two countries (Bolivia and Latvia) legalized civil unions; and five countries (Germany, Ecuador, Spain, Finland and New Zealand) now allow individuals to self-identify their gender on their official documents (so that 17 now do this).
All the same, according to ILGA, “relentless opposition is marring the progress made in equal rights for LGBTI people” around the world.
