Catholic World News reports, May 14, 2013, that U.S. embassies abroad are preparing to celebrate Gay Pride Month (the correct term is now the more cumbersome “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Month”) in June, even in countries where homosexual behavior is outlawed.
Part of the celebration is the posting of a White House Press Release — Obama’s “Proclamation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Month” — on the websites of the U.S. embassies.
Author Robert Reilly, who was senior adviser for information strategy to the U.S. Secretary of Defense (2002-2006), points out that in many countries, the U.S. diplomatic pressure for recognition of homosexual partnerships can easily be seen as an attempt to influence internal political affairs—traditionally a taboo in the world of diplomacy. U.S. embassies are also risking the hostility of nations that regard the US as a corrosive cultural influence.
Below are the 76+ countries where homosexual acts are outlawed (source):
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
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 a list of countries with laws against homosexuality are:
- Russia, where several cities and regions have laws that prohibit discussion of homosexuality in the presence of minors;
- Ukraine, which has considered, but so far has not adopted a similar law against “gay propaganda.”
~Eowyn
