Lesbian and Gay Rights in the World ILGA, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association
May 2012 www.ilga.org Greenland
Sweden
Alaska Iceland Norway U. K.
Canada
Ireland
Washington Oregon Nevada California
31 states
Colorado
Maine Wisconsin New Hampshire Vermont Massachussets New York Rhode Island Iowa Connecticut Illinois New Jersey Delaware Washington, D.C. Maryland
Portugal
Denmark
Russia
Finland Estonia Latvia Lithuania
Netherlands Poland Germany Belgium
Belarus
Czech. Rep. Ukraine Lux. Slovakia Austria Moldova Switzerland Hungary France Slovenia Croatia Romania Bosnia & Herz. Serbia Andorra Italy Mont. Kos. Bulgaria Georgia Fyrom Albania Armenia Spain
Gibraltar
Greece
Turkey
Kazakhstan
Azerb.
Uzbekistan Turkmenistan
Syria
Mongolia
Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan
C h i n a
North Korea
Japan
I r a n South Tunisia Afghanistan Morocco Gaza Korea Kuwait Nepal Canary Islands A l g e r i a Bahrain Coahuila Bhutan Pakistan L i b y a The Bahamas E g y p t S a u d i Qatar Mexico Dominican Rep. I n d i a U. A. E. Taiwan Cuba A r a b i a Hawaii Virgin Islands Myanmar Bangladesh 10 states Federal District Lao Puerto Rico Mauritania Vietnam Jamaica Haiti Oman M a l i Antigua & Barbuda Niger Chad Sudan Cape Verde Belize Philippines St Kitts & Nevis Dominica Thailand Eritrea Senegal Yemen Honduras Guatemala St. Vincent St. Lucia Burkina Faso Gambia Barbados El Salvador Cambodia Djibouti Grenada Benin Guinea-Bissau Guinea Trinidad and Tobago Nicaragua Central African Ghana N ig e r ia Ethiopia Guyana Sierra Leone Venezuela Costa Rica Ivory Palau Sri Lanka Brunei Republic South Sudan Suriname Coast Panama Togo Cameroon Liberia Malaysia Maldives Colombia French Guiana Aceh Province Somalia Uganda Equatorial Guinea Congo Singapore Nauru Kenya Rwanda Ecuador Sao Tome & Principe Gabon Kiribati Seychelles Pará South Sumatra Dem. Rep. Burundi Indonesia Solomon Piauí Paraíba Tanzania Samoa of the Congo Peru Timor-Leste Alagoas Islands Tuvalu Papua New Brazil Comoros Sergipe Angola Malawi Guinea Cook Islands Mato Grosso Bahia Zambia Mozambique Federal District Vanuatu Bolivia Mauritius Zimbabwe Fiji Namibia Minas Gerais Rio de Janeiro Tonga Botswana Paraguay Madagascar São Paulo Chile A u s t r a l i a Santa Catarina Swaziland Rio Grande do Sul Lesotho Norfolk Island New South Wales Rosario South Africa Australian Uruguay Death penalty Argentina Capital Territory Buenos Aires Victoria 5 countries and parts of Nigeria and Somalia New Imprisonment Tasmania Zealand 78 countries and 6 entities* U.S.A.
Malta
Cyprus
Lebanon Israel Iraq Jordan
PERSECUTION
Death penalty
imprisonment up to 14 years
Imprisonment from 14 years to a life-long sentence
imprisonment, no precise indication of the length/banishment
unclear = legislation not specifically homophobic but which can be used as such
uncertain = law awaiting court ruling or persecution by organised nonstate agents
RECOGNITION
Recognition of same-sex unions 30 countries and 31 entities* Marriage Equal (almost equal) substitute to marriage Clearly inferior substitute to marriage
PROTECTION Anti-discrimination laws 57 countries and 82 entities*
Countries which introduced laws prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation
*Include part of a federation, state, province, federal district, any other administrative and/or territorial unit. These laws are aimed at lesbians, gay men and bisexuals and at same-sex activities and relationships. At times, they also apply to trans and intersex people. This edition of the world map (May 2012) was coordinated by Stephen Barris (ILGA). Design: Renné Ramos & Eduardo Enoki. Data represented in this map is based on “State-Sponsored Homophobia: a world survey of laws
No specific legislation
criminalising same-sex sexual acts between consenting adults - 2012”, an ILGA report by Lucas Paoli Itaborahy (available on www.ilga.org in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French). ILGA thanks groups which contributed to the annual update.