76 countries with anti-homosexuality laws (or 72 or 78) This week’s decision by the Belize Supreme Court to overturn that nation’s anti-sodomy law has shrunk the list of nations with anti-LGBT laws once again. By this blog’s tally, the total is now 76 countries with criminal laws against sexual activity. Or the total is 72 … Continue reading
Tag Archives: Palestine
Arab LGBTQ activists in U.S., Canada aim to rally diaspora
A group of Independent Arab LGBTQ activists need your support. Located in the United States & Canada, the group of activists are working to mobilize the community in the diaspora to continue the fight against homophobia in the Arab world, and for a safer world for everyone. Leaders from around the Arab World based in … Continue reading
92 nations formerly had anti-LGBT laws; now it’s 75 (or 79)
The number of countries with laws against same-sex sexual activity has dropped from 92 a decade ago to 75 today, according to tallies kept by ILGA, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association. ILGA’s 2016 edition of its State-Sponsored Homophobia report, by Aengus Carroll, is being published today. The latest countries to repeal … Continue reading
LGBTI rights activism: Mostly hidden in Middle East, N. Africa
Public recognition of the human rights of LGBTI people remains rare in the many Middle Eastern and North African countries that still have laws against same-sex intimacy. In most of those countries, even advocacy of those rights is unusual. Such advocacy is mostly underground, online or abroad for Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Morocco, Syria … Continue reading
Recount: 75 (or 79) nations where homosexuality is illegal
The number of countries with anti-homosexuality laws is currently 75, according to the latest tally from ILGA, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association. That’s down one from earlier this month, when the African nation of Chad was incorrectly included in the list. This blog now lists a total of 79, including four … Continue reading
10 years later, tally of 92 anti-LGBT nations drops to 76
The arc of history is trending toward justice for LGBTI people worldwide, judging by the latest tallies from ILGA, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association. In an encouraging change from 2006, when the ILGA report listed 92 countries with laws prohibiting sexual acts between consenting same-sex adults, ILGA in its 10th annual … Continue reading
Us vs. them (Egypt): Deport me!
Second of two articles about the challenge of breaking through emotional barriers that people erect between themselves and victims of persecution who act or look unlike them. This article, by activist/commentator Scott Long, focuses on the difficulty keeping relatively affluent Westerners’ interest in non-white victims of repression, particularly in news coverage of Egypt. The previous … Continue reading
Online activists spur change in Middle East, China, world
Online LGBT activism and community-building are the focus of this week’s video in the “Quorum” series of 11 discussions of international LGBTI issues. Moderator for the latest discussion is Andre Banks, executive director of AllOut.org, the U.S.-based advocacy organization that has enlisted 2 million people worldwide to take action online for LGBTI rights. Panelists / … Continue reading
2 LGBT views of Israel-Palestine hostilities
In Israel, gay Palestinians are unwelcome. In the Gaza Strip, they face the possibility of up to 10 years in prison for sexual acts between men. On the West Bank, they face social stigma, but not criminal prosecution. Here are two perspectives on those problems. First, excerpts from the recent Daily Beast article by Itay … Continue reading
