Homosexuality laws of the world

Homosexuality laws of the world

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Same-sex relationships legalSame-sex relationships illegallegend|#a9a9a9|No info on penalty] The countries of the world have a wide variety of laws relating to sexual relations between people of the same sex - everything from full legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty as punishment for homosexual conduct.

In addition to laws against same-sex relationships, many countries have laws geared towards a homosexual orientation, everything from passing anti-discrimination laws to barring those with a homosexual orientation from adoption.

History of homosexuality laws

The first recorded Abrahamic laws supposedly "against" sexual intercourse between men are dated by scholars to circa 550 BC, during the Babylonian captivity of the Jewish people; they are recorded in Leviticus (though conservative scholars date Leviticus to be much older), and they prescribe the death penalty. At the time same-sex relations were incorporated into many pagan religions.

Some people therefore believe that the ultimate origin of punitive laws targeting homosexual relations lies with Abrahamic religions. But also see similar patterns across Indo-European cultures in "Lex Scantinia" in Ancient Rome and "nith" in protohistoric Germanic culture, or the Middle Assyrian Law Codes dating 1075 BCE [The Middle Assyrian Law Codes (1075 BC) states: "If a man have intercourse with his brother-in-arms, they shall turn him into a eunuch", see Sodomy_law#History] .

This pattern continued throughout history with punitive laws arising from traditional interpretations of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. With the advent of colonialism this attitude spread along with political control by the imperial powers of the nations with Abrahamic state religion; however, the fact that homosexuals were legally persecuted in communist China (a country which neither adopted an Abrahamic religion nor was colonized) and that homosexuality in the People's Republic was not decriminalized until 1997 [" [http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-12/26/content_3970520.htm Quiet pink revolution in dark before dawn?] "] calls the universal application of this theory into at least some question. Often an Abrahamic religion is the primary factor when accounting for a law against homosexuality and the major supporter.

Homosexuality laws

"This is a list of laws around the world concerning homosexuality, and is arranged alphabetically by region. It should be noted that the list should not be assumed to represent a standard for measuring a nation's views, per se. Nations which have retained negative laws may, in practice, be less oppressive than the laws suggest, as the laws are not enforced. Similarly, a country which lacks laws against homosexual behaviour may possess a culture which is openly hostile and thus persecutes individuals by other means. No country has criminalised solely female-female sex; nations either criminalise all forms of homosexual behaviour or just male homosexuality. Homosexual behaviour remains illegal in over 80 countries, including some which even ban heterosexual sodomy. (Note: the understanding of sodomy can include anal sex, oral sex, fornication (i.e. sex outside of marriage) or even any sexual behaviour that does not lead to procreation within marriage. In tables below the age of consent for same sex relationships is the same as for heterosexuals, unless it is otherwise noted."

Country names marked "(☆)" feature special "LGBT rights" articles about the country in question.

ee also

* Age of consent (including differences for same-sex activity)
* Buggery
* Civil rights movement
* Civil union
* Employment Non-Discrimination Act
* Heterosexism
* Homophobia
* LGBT adoption
* List of LGBT rights by region
* Religion and homosexuality
* Same-sex marriage
* Sexual Revolution
* Socialism and LGBT rights
* Sodomy law

References

External links

* [http://www.iglhrc.org/files/iglhrc/reports/990604-antidis.pdf Antidiscrimination Legislation, April 1999, a worldwide summary] IGLHRC (pdf)
* [http://www.iglhrc.org/site/iglhrc/ International LGBT and Lesbian Human Rights Commission] (IGLHRC)
* [http://www.ilga.org/ International Lesbian and LGBT Association]
* [http://www.ilga.info/Information/Legal_survey/ilga_world_legal_survey%20introduction.htm International Lesbian and LGBT Association World Legal Survey] (2000)
* [http://www.sodomylaws.org/ Sodomy Laws Around the World]
* [http://www.ilga.org/statehomophobia/StateHomophobia3.jpgState Homophobia] , world map, ILGA (2004)
* [http://www.ai-lgbt.org/SEXUAL_MINORITIES_MAP.gifNew Internationalist sexual minorities map]
* [http://www.iglhrc.org/site/iglhrc/content.php?type=1&id=77 Where Having Sex is a Crime: Criminalization and Decriminalization of Homosexual Acts] , IGLHRC (2003)
* [http://www.iglhrc.org/site/iglhrc/content.php?type=1&id=91 Where You Can Marry: Global Summary of Registered Partnership, Domestic Partnership, and Marriage Laws] , IGLHRC (November 2003)
* [http://www.ilga.org/statehomophobia/State_sponsored_homophobia_ILGA_07.pdf State-sponsored Homophobia] (April 2007)


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