Speaking of : Being Gay and Lesbian

This has been a watershed year for lesbians and gay men in several nations. Americans are debating whether to lift the ban on open gays in the military--an action Canada took in October. Russian President Boris N. Yeltsin has asked his Parliament to decriminalize “male love.” And gay rights movements are reported in more than 80 countries.

Nonetheless, at least 68 countries still outlaw sex between men and 26 between women, punishable by fines, prison or even death, according to various news accounts and the Brussels-based International Lesbian and Gay Assn. The latter’s recent, informal survey of governments, social scientists, gay movements and some embassies shows “considerable progress” for gays in Europe, but deterioration in countries where Islamic fundamentalism is strong.

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Africa: “The legal situation (for gays) is worst in Africa . . .”

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Latin America: “In most Latin American countries, homosexuality is not mentioned in the law . . . (but) the situation remains very difficult; homosexuals are still being harrassed by right-wing groups.”

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Asia: “In Asia homosexual acts are usually illegal between both men and women.”

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Middle East: “The social situation of lesbians and gay men has deteriorated in the Arab countries due to the growing influence of fundamentalist Islam.”

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Europe: “The legal situation (for gays) is . . .rather better in Europe. . .the overthrow of the communist regimes in Eastern Europe has given lesbians and gay men in those countries the possibility to set up an active movement.”

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North America: “The situation in North America differs per state.”

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Oceania: “In Oceania, generally speaking, homosexual acts between men are illegal and acts between women ar usually not mentioned.”

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Homosexuality is seen as a psychiatric and security problem in South Africa, where it is not permitted in the armed forces, airport, harbour and railway staffs. The African National Congress has recognised the validity of gay equality.

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Harrassment--including murder--of gay men is widespread in Colombia.

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Laws regarding homosexuality vary from state to state in the United States. A ban against homosexuals serving in the military may be reversed by the new Administration.

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Islamic law is strictly enforced in Iran, where homosexual sex is punishable by death.

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Denmark recognizes same-sex marriages.

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Australia protects homosexuals under a new law recognizing “relationships of emotional interdependency outside family links.”

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Gay sex is legal in Britain. But a 1988 law known as Clause 28 says local authorities cannot “intentionally promote homosexuality.” And gay sex is banned in the armed forces.

SUMMARY OF CONDITIONS

More than 180 countries were surveyed. “Legal status” can be deceptive. Some countries outlaw gay sex but don’t enforce the law. Others allow it but routinely punish gays more severely than heterosexuals for sex with minors, rape or “indecency.” Or the social climate may be hostile. In practice, some countries in the “not specified” category can be more repressive than those in the “illegal” category.

Legal status of male homosexual acts:

Legal: 42 countries

Illegal: 68 countries

No information available: 44

Not specified: 36

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Legal status of female homosexual acts:

Legal: 32 countries

Illegal: 26 countries

No information available: 67

Not specified: 65

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A lesbian and/or gay movement exists or is being developed in 82 countries or portions of countries surveyed.

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A lesbian and/or gay press exists or is being developed in 50 countries or portions of countries surveyed.

The Legal and Social Situation of Lesbians and Gay Men--A Country-by-Country Survey

A: Homosexual acts legal

B: Homosexual acts illegal

C: Not specified

D: Not available

AFRICA

Male Female Lesbian and Lesbian and Gay Movement Gay Press Angola C C None None Algeria B B None None Benin B B None None Botswana D D Yes None Burkina Faso A A None None Burundi D D None None Cameroon D D None None Cape Verde B B None None Congo C C None None Egypt A A Yes None Ethiopia B B None None Gabon C C None None Ghana B B Yes None Guinea Bissau D D None None Ivory Coast B D na na Keny B C Yes None Lesotho C C None None Liberia C C Yes None Libya B B None None Madagascar B B None None Malawi C C None None Mauritania B B None None Mauritius B B None None Morocco B B None None Mozambique B C None None Nigeria B C Yes na Reunion D D na na Senegal C C na na Seychelles B D na na South Africa B C Yes Yes Sudan B B na na Swaziland C C na na Tanzania B C na na Togo B D na na Tunisia B B na na Uganda B C na na Zaire C C na na Zambia B C na na Zimbabwe B C Yes na

Countries in Africa about which no information is available yet: Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Equitorial Guinea, Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Western Sahara, Yemen.

THE AMERICAS

Male Female Lesbian and Lesbian and Gay Movement Gay Press Antigua/Barbuda A C None None Argentina C C Yes Yes Aruba C C na na Bahamas B B na na Barbados B D na na Belize C C na na Bermuda B C na na Brazil C C Yes Yes Canada A D Yes Yes Chile B C Yes na Colombia C C Yes Yes Costa Rica C C Yes Yes Cuba B B None None Dominican Rep. C C Yes Yes Ecuador B B Yes na El Salvador C C na Yes Grenada B D na na Guyana B B None None Haiti D D na na Honduras C C na na Jamaica B D Yes None Mexico C C Yes Yes Netherlands Ant. A A None None Nicaragua B B Yes na Panama C C na na Paraguay C C na na Peru C C Yes Yes Puerto Rico B D Yes na Suriname A A Yes na Trinidad/Tobago B D None None United States* A A Yes Yes

* Legal in about half the states. The exact count is complicated by legal challenges in some states.

Countries in the Americas about which no information is available yet: Bolivia, French Guyana, Guadeloupe.

ASIA

Male Female Lesbian and Lesbian and Gay Movement Gay Press Bahrain B B na na Bangladesh B B Yes na Brunei D D na na Burma C D na na Cambodia D D na na China C C Yes None Hong Kong A A Yes Yes India B C na Yes Indonesia A D Yes Yes Iran B B na na Iraq C C na na Japan C C Yes Yes Jordan B D na na Kuwait B D None None Lebanon D D na na Malaysia B D Yes na Nepal D D na na North Korea C D na na Oman B B na na Pakistan B D na na Philippines C C Yes na Qatar B B na na Saudi Arabia B B na na Sinfapore B B na na South Korea A A na na Sri Lanka B D None None Syria B B na na Taiwan C C Yes na Thailand C C Yes na United Arab Em. B B na na Vietnam D D None None

Countries in Asia about which no information is available yet: Afghanistan, Bhutan, Laos, Macau, Maldives, Mongolia.

EUROPE

Male Female Lesbian and Lesbian and Gay Movement Gay Press Albania C C None None Austria A A Yes Yes Belarus B C Yes None Belgium A A Yes Yes Bosnia* B C Yes Yes Britain A C Yes Yes Bulgaria A A na na CIS (not otherwise listed) A C None None Croatia* A C Yes Yes Cyprus B C Yes na Czechoslovakia A A Yes na Denmark A A Yes Yes Estonia A A Yes None Finland A A Yes na France A A Yes Yes Georgia B C Yes None Germany A A Yes Yes Greece A A Yes Yes Hungary A A Yes Yes Iceland A A Yes Yes Ireland B C Yes Yes Italy A A Yes Yes Latvia A C Yes None Liechtenstein A A None None Lithuania B C Yes None Luxembourg A A Yes na Macedonia* A C Yes Yes Malta C C Yes na Montenegro* A C Yes Yes Netherlands A A Yes Yes Norway A A Yes Yes Poland A A Yes Yes Portugal A A Yes Yes Romania B B Yes None Russia** B C Yes Yes Serbia* B C Yes Yes Slovenia* A C Yes Yes Spain A A Yes Yes Sweden A A Yes Yes Switzerland A A Yes Yes Turkey C C Yes na Ukraine A A na na

* Six republics of the former Yugoslavia listed individually regardless of national status because of legal differences in treatment of gays.

** Russian President Boris N. Yeltsin has proposed lifting the legal ban on male homosexuality.

Countries in Europe about which no information is available yet: Andorra, Greenland, Monaco, Nauru, San Marino

OCEANIA

Male Female Lesbian and Lesbian and Gay Movement Gay Press Fiji B C na na French Polynesia D D na na Kiribati B D na na New Zealand A C Yes Yes Niue B D na na Papua New Guinea B D na na Solomon Islands B D na na Tonga B D na na Toualu B D na na Western Samoa D D Yes na

Countries in Oceania about which no information is available yet: Nauru, New Caledonia

Sources: International Lesbian and Gay Assn., 1992 country-by-country survey; news accounts.

Compiled by Times researcher Kevin Fox