Uganda passes bill banning identifying as LGBTQ: Other countries where it is illegal to be gay

Although the rest of the world makes progress towards inclusiveness, Uganda approved a bill on Tuesday that makes it unlawful to identify as LGBTQ. The new law gives authorities broad new powers against Ugandans who already face legal discrimination and mob violence, according to Reuters. The law seems to be the first to ban merely identifying as homosexual, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer, according to the rights group Human Rights Watch. Uganda to impose death penalty for homosexuality The promotion and facilitation of homosexuality are prohibited under the new Ugandan law in addition to the prior prohibition. Additionally, it prohibits “conspiracy to engage in homosexuality.” The Guardian cited the bill presented by Robina Rwakoojo, the chairperson for legal and parliamentary affairs, “A person who commits the offence of aggravated homosexuality and is liable, on conviction to suffer death.” The legislation will now be sent to President Yoweri Museveni to be signed into law. According to Reuters, LGBTQ rights have always been opposed by Museveni. Last month, according to The Guardian, the President said that the country will not embrace homosexuality as the West was seeking to compel other countries to “normalise” what he calls “deviations.” Including Uganda, more than 30 African countries forbid same-sex relationships. As Uganda becomes the recent country to criminalise homosexuality, let’s take a closer look at similar countries. Also read: India's ban on gay, transgender people from donating blood: What are the rules across the world? Countries where homosexuality is illegal There are 70 countries that have laws that criminalise homosexuality, and nearly half of these are in Africa. According to BBC, many of the laws in several countries, criminalising homosexual relations originate from colonial times. Africa continent

1. Algeria
2. Burundi
3. Cameroon
4. Chad
5. Comoros
6. Egypt (de facto criminalisation)
7. Eritrea
8. Ethiopia
9. Gambia
10. Ghana
11. Guinea
12. Kenya (male only)
13. Liberia
14. Libya
15. Malawi
16. Mauritania
17. Mauritius (male only)
18. Morocco
19. Namibia (male only)
20. Nigeria
21. Senegal
22. Sierra Leone (male only)
23. Somalia
24. South Sudan
25. Sudan
26. Tanzania
27. Togo (male only)
28. Tunisia
29. Uganda
30. Zambia
31. Zimbabwe (male only)

Gay individuals across a large portion of Africa, according to Newsweek, endure prejudice, persecution, and possibly even death. In Mauritania, Sudan, southern Somalia, and northern Nigeria, homosexuality entails a death sentence. Legal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex people are declining across the African continent, reported The Week citing Amnesty International. Asia and the Middle East

1. Afghanistan
2. Bangladesh (male only)
3. Bhutan (male only)
4. Brunei (male only)
5. Indonesia (in several areas)
6. Iran
7. Iraq (de facto)
8. Kuwait
9. Lebanon (male only)
10. Malaysia
11. Maldives
12. Myanmar (male only)
13. Oman
14. Pakistan (male only)
15. Qatar
16. Saudi Arabia
17. Sri Lanka
18. Syria
19. Turkmenistan (male only)
20. United Arab Emirates
21. Uzbekistan (male only)
22. Yemen

Same-sex relationships are punishable by death in a number of countries in this region. Only Bahrain, Israel, and Jordan do not have laws against homosexuality in the region. Even in these nations, there are few police protections for sexual minorities, and vigilante justice frequently wins out, reported The Week. Gay rights have a chequered history in Asia. Many nations on the continent, including Cambodia, South Korea, Taiwan, Laos, and the Philippines, have never enacted any kind of anti-gay law. In Japan , homosexuality was decriminalised over 140 years ago. The Americas

1. Dominica
2. Grenada (male only)
3. Guyana (male only)
4. Jamaica (male only)
5. St Lucia
6. St Vincent and the Grenadines

Europe Numerous European nations lack legal restrictions on homosexual behaviour. Yet, according to the BBC, Hungary enacted a legislation “banning the portrayal or promotion of homosexuality among under-18s” in 2021. Hungary has prohibited same-sex couples from adopting children, does not recognise same-sex marriage , and has approved legislation that forbids anyone from legally altering their gender. The European Parliament “voted in favour of prompt legal action” over the law prohibiting the portrayal of homosexuality to those under the age of 18 in July of last year, the article continued. Oceania

1. Kiribati (male only)
2. Papua New Guinea (male only)
3. Samoa (male only)
4. Solomon Islands
5. Tonga (male only)
6. Tuvalu (male only)

Six of the 14 countries in this continent have passed anti-gay law, according to The Week. The Solomon Islands and Kiribati have the strictest enforcement of these laws, with punishments for homosexual activities of up to 14 years, according to the report. With inputs from agencies

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