Post the Sixty-Seventh: In Which We Face The Law
I’m afraid today’s post won’t be so rosy, Gentle Reader. If you want something uplifting, you might want to go re-read In Praise of the Femme. We’re about to get a little bit serious.
In Yemen, Iran, Mauritania, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, and Sudan, homosexual acts are punishable by death. In Iraq* and the United Arab Emirates, laws are more ambiguous, but LGBTQIA folks have still been recently been put to death by the courts. At the end of this post, I’ll have a list of countries where homosexuality is merely illegal, but in these countries you can still be put to death.
Be glad I decided to stay away from graphic imagery in this post. I threw up twice looking for suitable photos.
This isn’t to say that these are the most dangerous countries in which to be gay. Mob “justice”, mauling, and flat-out murder are carried out all over the world, regardless of what laws are on the books. We all know about Uganda for example, and Russia doesn’t actually have a law prohibiting homosexuality at all – just gay “propaganda”. Naturally, this doesn’t prevent roving gangs of thugs from robbing people of their lives, nor does it prevent people from being imprisoned indefinitely. It’s merely a polite fiction.
Seriously: Fuck you, Putin
If you google which countries are the most homophobic, or which are the most dangerous for LGBT travelers, or which have the highest rate of hate crimes, you’ll wind up with several different lists that in no way coincide. Information is supressed, distorted, erased. Your best bet, if you want to stay safe, is to hide who you are and conform as much as possible – particularly in regards to gender presentation. Even if you can’t possibly fool anyone, you have to try – your life may depend on it.
But that’s all just common sense; what can we actually do about these laws?
Precious little. Spread awareness, get people talking – hope, if you’re not too cynical. Pray, if you pray. Not much beyond that. But people need to know.
A List of Countries In Which Homosexuality Is Illegal:
I’ve taken the time to find links on the specific laws in each country, and in cases where the laws are in the process of being challenged, or changed, such as Malawi, I’ve done my best to find the most up-to-date information. I hope that this isn’t a resource that many need to use, but for what it’s worth, it’s here.
Afghanistan
Algeria
Angola
Antigua & Barbuda
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belize
Bhutan
Botswana
Brunei
Burundi
Cameroon
Comoros
Cook Islands
Dominica
Egypt
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Gambia
Ghana
Grenada
Guinea
Guyana
India†
Iran
Indonesia
Jamaica
Kenya
Kiribati
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan‡
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Malaysia
Malawi
Maldives
Mauritania
Mauritius
Moldova‡
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nigeria
Nauru
Oman
Pakistan
Palau
Palestine/Gaza Strip
Papua New Guinea
Qatar
Russia‡
Samoa
Sao Tome
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Sudan
Sri Lanka
St. Kitts & Nevis
St. Lucia
St. Vincent & The Grenadines
Sudan
Swaziland
Syria
Tanzania
Togo
Tonga
Trinidad & Tobago
Tunisia
Turkmenistan
Tuvalu
Uganda
Ukraine‡
United Arab Emirates
Uzbekistan
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe
For more specifics, though not for all the countries listed, you can check out a BuzzFeed article that’s … actually useful.
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*Um, obviously the situation in Iraq is very tricky right now. The laws are ambiguous at the moment, in light of the recent situation. Apparently, there is no official law against homosexuality, but sharia judges have been condemning people to death.
†India repealed its anti-gay laws in 2013, but if I’m not mistaken, things are tied up in court and the current situation is confusing.
‡ These countries had, have, or are considering laws that, while not outright banning homosexuality, will ban it in effect - à la Rousse, if you will.
Tagged: Countries Where Being Gay Is Illegal, Homosexuality Punishable By Death, LGBT, LGBT rights worldwide, LGBTQIA, Queer, QUILTBAG 
