Where is it illegal to be gay 2021

As Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced on Sunday that the territory will repeal a colonial-era law criminalizing sex between men, LGBTQ+ rights activists in the state celebrated a long-sought victory.

The law, which did not implement to women, had not been enforced in over 15 years, but its long-standing presence contributed to stigmatizing and discriminating against queer men in Singapore, activists said.

"Sex between consenting men should not be criminalized. There is no justification to prosecute people for it, nor to form it a crime," the prime minister said.

A similar regulation criminalizing same-sex consensual relations dating advocate to the British colonial time was struck down in India in 2018 when the Supreme Court ruled the ban to be "irrational, indefensible and manifestly arbitrary."

But in both India and Singapore, the abolition of these laws didn't translate into a complete backing of LGBTQ+ rights, as same-sex marriage remains illegal in both countries.

"Let me reassure everyone that in handling the issue, the government will continue to uphold families as the basic building blocks of society," Singapore's prime minister said on Sunday. "We will store our

Which countries impose the death penalty on gay people?

Around the world, queer people continue to face discrimination, violence, harassment and social stigma. While social movements have marked progress towards acceptance in many countries, in others homosexuality continues to be outlawed and penalised, sometimes with death.

According to Statistica Research Department, as of 2024, homosexuality is criminalised in 64 countries globally, with most of these nations situated in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. In 12 of these countries, the death penalty is either enforced or remains a possibility for intimate, consensual same-sex sexual activity.

In many cases, the laws only apply to sexual relations between two men, but 38 countries own amendments that include those between women in their definitions.

These penalisations represent abuses of human rights, especially the rights to freedom of expression, the right to develop one's own individuality and the right to life. 

Which countries enforce the death penalty for homosexuality?

Saudi Arabia

The Wahabbi interpretation of Sharia law in Saudi Arabia maintains that acts of homosexuality should be disciplined in the sa

Homosexual activity refers to consensual sexual activity between individuals of the same sex. While homosexual activity is legal in most countries around the world, there are several countries — mostly in Africa and the Middle East — where it is criminalized to a varying degree. Penalties can range from imprisonment all the way up to death penalty.

Homosexuality is commonly criminalized through sodomy laws (sometimes called a "buggery law" in British territories), which are laws that define sexual acts of crimes. Sodomy laws can sometimes prohibit sexual activity between two individuals of the matching sex. While some of these laws are not specific to homosexual sex (such as when referring to anal sex), they are usually used to target or criminalize queer people. In practice, these laws are difficult to actually enforce.

In some countries, the language of the criminal codes specifically refers to two men, definition that lesbian sex is technically legal.

Some sodomy laws and penal codes go out back to the 1700s and 1800s. Throughout the 1900s, many countries, US states, and other regions began decriminalizing homosexuality and removing references to homosexuality or sodomy from t

Version 4.0, February 2025

Executive summary

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) people acquire different statuses within the law. Same-sex consensual sex between men is illegal and is punishable with a prison sentence. There is no specific statute prohibiting same-sex sex between women but those who do so may be arrested under public directive laws. There are no laws on gender individuality (including scope to adjust gender identity) intersex people re legally recognised as the third gender. Queer marriage is illegal.

Civil world groups advocating and supporting LGBTI people are allowed to operate but execute so in a restrictive civic space.

The state does not actively enforce the anti-LGBT laws and prosecutions are rare. However other legal provisions are used, such as public instruction offences, to harass or arrest LGBTI people.

Homophobia and transphobia remain common and LGBTI people may life discrimination, violence, verbal and sexual harassment, corrective rape and conversion therapy, extortion, and blackmail, by people and family members. They also sometimes face discrimination in accessing education, employment, and healthcare.

LGBTI people shape a particular

No, Uganda is not making it illegal to be same-sex attracted (again)

Is this really happening again? In 2021?

Seven years after an act of parliament made homosexuality a crime punishable by death, the anti-gay campaigners of Uganda are at it again. Last month, the parliament of my region once again voted to make homosexuality a criminal offence, this time with a 10-year prison sentence.

In 2014, I played a tiny part in making sure that anti-LGBTQI forces in Uganda do not triumph in writing their hate into law: I was one of the petitioners in the case that successfully overturned the infamous anti-gay law. Back then, we had the entire political system – every solo legislator, both from the government and the opposition, store I and one other – against us. But with an independent and capable judiciary, the Act was annulled. The government chose not to appeal.

Fortunately, this time we are unlikely to need to travel to such lengths. Passed in the final days of an outgoing parliament, through a confidential member’s bill introduced by an outgoing legislator, and without government support, this legislation needs assent. The government has already indicated this will not be granted, so the legislatio