Global Perspectives

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Global Perspectives

• The International State of LGBT Rights
• Created by Lizeth Torres
• Montclair State University

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COLUMBIA

• Congress in Colombia have approved a bill to
  grant homosexual couples the same rights to
  social security benefits as heterosexual couples.
  
• Although Same-Sex marriage is not legal
• in Columbia, the current Columbian
• government is very
• progressive and will most
• likely allow for marriage
• equality soon.

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PAKISTAN

• Gay marriage is not legal in Pakistan.
• Pakistani law punishes sodomy with imprisonment
  ranging from two years to life.
• Some Islamic provisions prescribe 100 lashes for
  the act or
• even death by
• stoning.

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CANADA

• Canada offers its LGBT citizens more legal
  rights than do many other nations where
  homosexuality is legal.
• Since 2005, Canada has offered civil
  marriage rights
• nationwide to
• same-sex couples.

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PERU

• In Peru, Homosexual acts among consenting adults
  are legal. An exception is made for all military
  and police personnel, who can be punished with
  between 60 days to 20 years imprisonment or
  discharge from the forces.
• Homosexuality can also be used as grounds for
  separation or divorce. Laws meant to protect
  "public morals" are often used against lesbians
  and gays.
• Society's attitude towards
• homosexuals is generally hostile
• and is heavily influenced by the
• Catholic Church.

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BRAZIL

• A panel of judges in a Brazilian state ruled in
  favor of same-sex marriages in 2004.
• The southern state of Rio Grande do Sul is the
  first state to do so. The ruling gives same-sex
  couples broad rights in areas like inheritance,
  child
• custody, insurance
• benefits and pensions.

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KENYA

• On Wednesday, 10th September, 2008, police
  arrested 2 Female to Male transgender individuals
  in Kampala. The two individuals are still in
  custody and are being held without charge. They
  have been denied bail. Moreover, the Police and
  CID are now on the hunt for other LGBTI
  individuals.
•  Kenyan Penal Code criminalize homosexual behavio
  r and attempted homosexual behavior between men,
  which is referred to as "carnal knowledge against
  the order of nature". The penalty is 5 to 14
  years' imprisonment.
• In Kenya, Homosexuality is
• against norms and traditions,
• even in religion it is
• Considered a great sin.

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ICELAND

• The majority of the public is supportive
  of homosexuality.
• In February 2009 a minority government took
  office, headed by Johanna Siguroroardóttir, the
  world's first openly gay head of
  government in modern times.
• Laws governing homosexuality were repealed
  in 1940. In 1992 the age of
• consent was made equal
• for everyone, regardless of
• gender or sexual orientation.

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CHINA

• Same-sex marriage is not legal in China. The
  Chinese government does not explicitly state
  whether same-sex marriage is legal or not.
• The Marriage Law of the People's Republic of
  China does not allow adoption by same-sex
  couples.
• China is seeing record
• numbers of new HIV
• infections and gay
• Chinese are seen as a
• high-risk population.

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PORTUGAL

• The Portuguese Civil Code currently bans
  same-sex marriage, even though cohabitating
• same-sex couples are afforded several of the
  rights of marriage 
• Healthcare An internal regulation of the
  Portuguese Institute of Blood excludes gay men
  from donating blood. In April 1999, the
  Institute's
• president justified the
• exclusion on the basis of
• an alleged high level of
• promiscuity among gay
• people. 

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RUSSIA

• Gays are often attacked and ridiculed on the
  streets of Russia and therefore many live in
  secret. 
• Today, being gay or lesbian in Russia is no
  longer illegal, but still considered a
  "perversion". 
• In February 2007, Mayor Yuri Luzhkov banned what
  was to be the first gay pride parade in Moscow,
  claiming gays are unnatural and "satanic"
• Same-sex marriage is illegal in
• Russia. Marriage traditions are
• heavily influenced by the Russian
• Orthodox Church, which sees
• homosexuality as a perversion. 

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MEXICO

• Homosexuality has never been explicitly banned in
  Mexico. In 1991, the Mexico Constitution was
  amended to prohibit discrimination based on
  sexual orientation.
• Same sex civil unions were legalized in Mexico
  City in November 2006. There is, however, some
  opposition to gay marriage in more conservative
  regions of Mexico.
• Gay adoption is still
• prohibited in all of Mexico. 

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UNITED KINGDOM

• Discrimination on the basis of both sexual
  orientation and gender identity is illegal in
  housing, employment and the provision of goods
  and services.
• LGBT individuals can serve openly in the army.
• Same-sex couples have had the right
  to adopt since 2002 and to enter into civil
  partnerships since 2005. 
• The Gender Recognition
• Act also gave transsexuals 
• the right to change their
• legal gender.

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INDIA

• On July 2, 2009, the Indian High Court
  decriminalized homosexuality.
• Indian law does not recognize same-sex
  marriages, nor does it provide for civil unions.
• Conservative views among many of the
• nations politicians, argue the previous ban on
  gay sex protected
• public health and morals.

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HONDURAS

• Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is
  illegal in Honduras.
•  LGBT people have been subjected to grave human
  rights violations in Honduras for many years,
  including killings and discrimination in the
  exercise of their civil, political, social and
  economic rights
• Both same-sex marriages
• and same-sex adoption 
• have been constitutionally
• banned since 2005.

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IRAQ

• Members of the LGBT community (or those
  perceived to be LGBT) have being tortured,
  assaulted, arrested, detained, killed, or shot in
  the face and left to die.
• According to Human Rights Watch  "While the
  country remains a dangerous place for many if not
  most of its citizens, death squads started
  specifically singling out men whom they
  considered not "manly" enough, or whom they
  suspected of homosexual conduct. The most trivial
  details
• of Appearance. The length of
• A man's hair, the fit of his
• clothes could determine
• whether he lived or died."

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SPAIN

• Homosexuals and Bisexuals are Forbidden to
  Donate Blood Because of Their Sexual Orientation
• Lesbian and Gay activists are pushing forward
  with a campaign to convince their government to
  enact legislation allowing same sex civil unions
• On June 23, 2000, the Parliament in the
  autonomous region of Navarra, Spain, passed a
  ground-breaking law allowing all registered
  couples in Navarra (including same-sex couples)
• to adopt children, enjoying
• the same rights and
• obligations as heterosexual
• married couples.

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GHANA

• About half of Ghanaian men who have sex with
  other men are also having sex with women,
  creating a potential 'crossover' for HIV/STDs
  between the gay and heterosexual populations
  here.
• On September 1, the government of Ghana issued a
  statement banning a lesbian and gay conference
• and instructing the Ministry of the Interior to
  locate and arrest the conference's local
  organizers.
•  Homosexuality, lesbianism
• and bestiality are punishable
• Offences under the laws of
• Ghana."

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PUERTO RICO

• Puerto Rican Penal code criminalizes consensual
  sexual relationships between people of the same
  sex.
• Marriage just between a man and woman is the
  only type of marriage recognized in Puerto Rico.
  

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NICARAGUA

• Article 204 of the Nicaraguan Penal Code states
  that Anyone who induces, promotes,
  propagandizes or practices in scandalous form
  sexual intercourse between persons of the same
  sex commits the crime of sodomy and shall incur 1
  to 3 years' imprisonment.
• Despite efforts from Pro-LGBT rights groups and
  Amnesty International to de-criminalize
  homosexuality, President Enrique Bolaños has
  allegedly ordered that a list of all members of
  his government
• "suspected" of being part of
• the "gay-lesbian world" be
• compiled so he can dismiss
• them before leaving office
• in January 2007

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UNITED STATES

• Openly lesbian and gay members of the US military
  are subject to the US's "Don't ask, don't tell"
  policy
• Six states currently offer marriage to same-sex
  couples.
• Adoption policies in regards to gay and lesbian
  parents vary greatly from state to state.
• California performed same-sex marriages in 2008,
  but in Nov. of that year, voters
  passed Proposition 8, banning same-sex marriage
  in the state through an amendment to the state
  constitution.
• The Matthew Shepard Bill was passed
• on October 22, 2009,  that would
• expand the 1969 United States federal
• hate-crime law to include crimes
• motivated by a victim's actual
• or perceived gender, gender identity,
• sexual orientation, or disability.

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• Information obtained from
• The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights
  Commission
• The International Lesbian and Gay Association
• Amnesty International