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When was it illegal to be gay?

Updated: 4/30/2024
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Wiki User

10y ago

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It depends on what country and what year you are talking about. For example, as of 2013, it's still illegal to be gay in:

Africa

1 Algeria

2 Angola

3 Benin

4 Botswana

5 Burundi

6 Cameroon

7 Comoros

8 Egypt

9 Eritrea

10 Ethiopia

11 Gambia

12 Ghana

13 Guinea

14 Kenya

15 Lesotho

16 Liberia

17 Libya

18 Malawi (enforcement of law suspended)

19 Mauritania

20 Mauritius

21 Morocco

22 Mozambique

23 Namibia

24 Nigeria

25 Sao Tome

26 Senegal

27 Seychelles

28 Sierra Leone

29 Somalia

30 South Sudan

31 Sudan

32 Swaziland

33 Tanzania

34 Togo

35 Tunisia

36 Uganda

37 Zambia

38 Zimbabwe

Asia, including the Middle East

39 Afghanistan

40 Bangladesh

41 Bhutan

42 Brunei

43 Iran

44 Kuwait

45 Lebanon

46 Malaysia

47 Maldives

48 Myanmar

49 Oman

50 Pakistan

51 Palestine/Gaza Strip

52 Qatar

53 Saudi Arabia

54 Singapore

55 Sri Lanka

56 Syria

57 Turkmenistan

58 United Arab Emirates

59 Uzbekistan

60 Yemen

Two Asian/Middle Eastern countries are listed separately by the ILGA under the heading "Legal status of homosexual acts unclear or uncertain":

In Iraq, there is no law against homosexual acts, but homophobic violence is unchecked and self-appointed sharia judges reportedly have imposed sentences for homosexual behavior.

In India, enforcement of the law against homosexual activity has been suspended by court action.

Americas

61 Antigua & Barbuda

62 Barbados

63 Belize

64 Dominica

65 Grenada

66 Guyana

67 Jamaica

68 St Kitts & Nevis

69 St Lucia

70 St Vincent & the Grenadines

71 Trinidad & Tobago

In the United States, anti-sodomy laws were ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2003, but they are still on the books in 13 states: Alabama, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Virginia. Conservative state legislators refuse to repeal the laws and, in some cases, police still enforce them. Reportedly, in the past few years more than a dozen LGBT people were arrested for violating those laws, but the arrestees were freed because prosecutors won't seek convictions based on defunct laws.

Oceania

72 Cook Islands

73 Indonesia (Aceh Province and South Sumatra)

74 Kirbati

75 Nauru

76 Palau

77 Papua New Guinea

78 Samoa

79 Solomon Islands

80 Tonga

81 Tuvalu

Europe

82 Northern Cyprus

Also in Europe and worth mentioning but not on that list of countries with laws against homosexuality are:

Russia, which enacted a law in 2013 prohibiting any positive mention of homosexuality in the presence of minors, including online;

Ukraine, which has considered, but so far has not adopted a similar law against "gay propaganda."

Moldova, which adopted and then repealed such a law in 2013.

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10y ago
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1w ago

Being gay was considered illegal in many countries until recently. Laws criminalizing homosexuality existed throughout history, with some countries decriminalizing it in the 20th century. Currently, homosexuality remains illegal in several countries, primarily in the Middle East, Africa, and parts of Asia.

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