Middle East / North Africa

LGBTQ activists march in a Pride parade despite a ban by local authorities in Ankara on June 20, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Japan Times / Reuters)
Turkiye outsources its anti-LGBTQ censorship
Anti-LGBT countries get to guard human rights for the U.N.
Tukiye President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan launched the anti-LGBTI repression last month. (Getty Images: Jeff J Mitchell photos courtesy of Getty / ABC.net.au)
UN human rights experts blast Turkiye for anti-LGBTI arrests
Running through the streets on Beirut after an explosion in August. (Hassan Ammar photo courtesy of AP / NY Times)
Lebanon: Queer people shut out of wartime shelters
These are some of the accounts blocked as "promoters of LGBT" by Turkey, according to the Turkish Freedom of Expression Association (İFÖD)
Turkiye blocks news outlets and social media in widening anti-LGBT crackdown
Turkish police arrest LGBT rights protesters opposed to this month's crackdown. (Photo courtesy of Getty / BBC)
Turkey’s anti-LGBT crackdown expands; activists fight back
Turkish police on Sept. 15, 2026, push back journalists covering a protest in favor of LGBTQ rights outside Istanbul's courthouse. (Ozan Kose photo courtesy of AFP / Le Monde)
LGBTI+ rights activists in Turkey seek international support during crackdown
Police in riot gear at Pride parade in Turkey in June 2026. (Photo courtesy of Murat Kocabas/Middle East Images/picture alliance/DW)
Turkey: 162 targeted in anti-LGBTQ+ raids
Muslim nations add anti-gay laws as Christian nations repeal them
Cairo 52 Lawsuit
Egyptian court victory for trans people seeking gender transition
Two men holding hands. (Photo courtesy of Mimoun Kabdani)
Surviving hate: Gay man speaks out after street attack in Morocco
Spotlight on Mauritania, where LGBT people hide their identities for fear of stigma
LGBTQ rights advocacy is only possible in secret in Libya. (Photo courtesy of Kuchu Times / Zoonar.com)
Spotlight on Libya, where the LGBTQ community hides in the shadows
Map of the 65 countries where sexual relations between people of the same sex are illegal. YELLOW countries have sodomy laws that are currently being challenged before local courts. Sri Lanka, in PINK, currently has a bill before its parliament to repeal its sodomy law. Indonesia, in ORANGE, has laws that criminalize homosexuality only in some subnational jurisdictions. All states in RED have nationwide sodomy laws and no known legislative efforts or court challenges to remove them.
LGBTQ rights update: 2025 tally and 2026 preview
Iran, captained by Alireza Jahanbakhsh (pictured), is scheduled to face Egypt in what's set to be a pride match in Seattle at the FIFA World Cup. (Etsuo Hara photo courtesy of ABC / Getty)
Iran and Egypt protest World Cup match scheduled amid Pride celebrations
Rainbow flag: St. Paul's Foundation for International Reconciliation needs your financial support for its work advancing LGBT rights. Click the image to donate.
To support LGBT rights, include St. Paul’s Foundation in your year-end giving