Day 22 - Do you know where in the world LGBT people are still criminalised?

We’ve witnessed huge advances in the global movement to decriminalise lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people recently, with the number of criminalising countries falling from 71 to 65 in the past two years alone.

Last summer, a wave of change swept across the Caribbean, which saw Antigua and Barbuda strike down discriminatory criminal laws that targeted LGBT people in July, followed swiftly by Saint Kitts and Nevis in August. These cases were later followed by Barbados’ decriminalisation in December bringing the number of criminalising countries in the Western Hemisphere down to just six.

Across the globe, Singapore also decriminalised in 2022 by officially repealing the colonial-era law that since 1938 had criminalised acts of ‘gross indecency between males’. Fast forward to 2023, in April the Parliament of the Cook Islands voted to decriminalise same-sex sexual activity between men, a welcome move for LGBT people in the Pacific. More recently, this October, we celebrated as Mauritius joined the growing list of African nations that have decriminalised when Mauritius’ Supreme Court declared a law that criminalised same-sex intimacy between men is unconstitutional.

The milestones we have witnessed recently are a testament to the strength of LGBT communities and countless allies. However, amidst the celebration, it is important to acknowledge the persistent challenges we continue to face. It is disheartening to see that in various parts of the world, regressive laws are threatening the rights and well-being of LGBT communities. In May, Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni’s signed one of the world’s harshest anti-LGBT bills into law which includes the death penalty for repeat same-sex sexual acts. Concerningly, similar legislation that enhances existing criminal laws is under consideration in other parts of Africa including Kenya and Ghana. There is much work to be done to organise and fight against laws like these across the globe and the first step is to know where in the world LGBT people are criminalised.

Our Map of Criminalisation serves as an interactive digital tool offering an overview of countries worldwide where LGBT communities face legal persecution. You can employ a convenient filter to identify regions where men and women are criminalised, where the death penalty is applied, and which countries criminalise the gender expression of transgender individuals. Clicking on a specific region will lead you to an in-depth country profile, providing insight into the historical context of the country’s criminalisation, their legal provisions, and enforcement practices.