Being gay can end you up in trouble in these countries

The world is in the midst of a cultural revolution. Gay rights, the rise of right-wing politics, debating Marijuana legalization, experiencing communal intolerance, racist remarks– it’s either the best or the worst time to be alive. You choose which side to lean on.

Homosexuality is a much-debated topic and every country has its own perception of whether to welcome it with open arms or whether to confront it like a disease. The question of a country being favorable to Gay couples is not only dependent on laws that are put up by the government but also on the acceptability levels of the general public.

However, we humans are a nomadic tribe. We go places and wherever we go, we carry our culture, our mindset, and values with us, but that may not fare well in countries that are accustomed to a set of rules and rituals for ages. That’s why we call it a ‘culture shock.

While countries like Sweden, Canada, and Portugal among many others celebrate Homosexuality, on the other end of the spectrum, being gay in Brunei can end up in a death sentence. Their constitution is cool with stoning gay men to death.

According to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) report on state-sponsored homophobia, released last month (March 2019), seven United Nations member states imposed the death penalty on consensual same-sex sexual acts with Brunei being the seventh. You can find the detailed PDF report here. The 7 countries listed in the report are:

Iran
Saudi Arabia
Yemen
Sudan
Somalia
Nigeria
Brunei

Also, here are the countries along with the year when gay marriage has been declared legal :

2001 The Netherlands
2003 Belgium
2005 Canada, Spain
2006 South Africa
2009 Norway, Sweden
2010 Iceland, Portugal, Argentina
2012 Denmark
2013 Uruguay, New Zealand, France, Brazil
2014 UK (excluding Northern Ireland)
2015 Luxembourg, Republic of Ireland, Mexico, USA
2016 Colombia
2017 Finland, Malta, Germany and Australia
2019 Austria

As of March 2019, there are 70 UN Member States (35%) that criminalize consensual same-sex sexual acts: 68 of them have laws that explicitly criminalize consensual same-sex acts.

The list of countries that have criminalized Homosexuality is given below with references to page numbers in the report. For a deeper local insight, the report provides perspectives specific to that particular region.

AFRICA