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While many Western countries have made significant progress in recognizing and protecting the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, and asexual/aromantic/agender (LGBTQIA+) people, the situation is very different in other parts of the world. In fact, same-sex relationships are still criminalized in over 70 countries, exposing the LGBTQIA+ individuals to risks of violence, discrimination, and also persecution.
This article explores the global perspectives on LGBTQIA+ rights with a focus on the contexts beyond Western societies. It examines the complex social, cultural, religious, and also political factors that shape the attitudes and laws regarding gender and also sexual diversity across different world regions.
Sub-Saharan Africa
Much of sub-Saharan Africa retains colonial-era laws that criminalize the same-sex relationships. These laws have been used to justify the harassment, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQIA+ Africans. However, it is very important to note that homophobia in Africa was exacerbated under the colonial rule. Many pre-colonial African societies had more open attitudes and even specific social roles for the gender-variant individuals.
While Uganda and Nigeria have instituted especially punitive anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation in recent years, South Africa stands out as the only African country to provide legal protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation. Cape Town has become a safe haven for the LGBTQIA+ Africans fleeing persecution elsewhere on the continent. Still, social stigma persists even in South Africa, underscoring the complexity of changing long-held cultural beliefs about the gender and sexuality.
The Middle East
As in much of Africa, most Middle Eastern countries still criminalize the same-sex intimate acts under Sharia and also civil law. LGBTQIA+ people face many severe restrictions on their rights to free expression, association, and also assembly. However, the actual enforcement of anti-LGBTQIA+ laws varies across the region.
While Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen implement capital punishment for the homosexuality, Egypt and Lebanon have thriving yet discreet LGBTQIA+ social spheres. The legal status and social experiences of LGBTQIA people also differ between the region’s religious and also ethnic communities. For example, homosexuality has been decriminalized in Israel, which also recognizes same-sex marriages performed abroad. Meanwhile, LGBTQ Palestinians face many additional barriers related to the Israeli occupation.
Asia
Asia encompasses immense religious, cultural, political, and also economic diversity, resulting in varying degrees of rights and social acceptance for the LGBTQIA+ communities across the continent.
On the one hand, India, Nepal, and Thailand now legally recognize the third gender categories, affording certain protections for the transgender and gender-nonconforming people. Taiwan became the first Asian country to legalize the same-sex marriage in 2019. Mainland China and Vietnam have also decriminalized the homosexuality, though same-sex unions are still not recognized.
On the other hand, LGBTQIA+ people in countries like Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, Bangladesh, and also Myanmar still lack basic rights and face the enforcement of colonial-era sodomy laws as well as socially conservative attitudes. More research is needed to understand the specific cultural constructs related to the gender and sexual diversity across the region.
Eastern Europe and also Central Asia
The transition from state socialism to market economies in Eastern Europe and Central Asia during the 1990s strengthened the influence of the conservative religious institutions like the Catholic church and Orthodox Christianity. While countries like Poland, Russia, and Kazakhstan decriminalized homosexuality under socialism, the past decades have seen the resurgence of the traditional “family values” that discriminate against the LBGTQIA+ groups.
The 2012 “gay propaganda” law severely curtailed the free expression and association for Russian LGBTQIA+ people. Meanwhile, the Hungarian government has refused to ratify the Istanbul Convention on the preventing violence against women and LGBTQ people. Despite these setbacks, Georgia, Estonia, Czech Republic and certain other countries in the region have made many human rights advancements. LBGTQIA+ activism also persists in the face of discrimination, emblematized by KyivPride marches held in Ukraine since 2013 despite the threats of violence.
Looking Ahead: Possibilities for the Progress.
While entrenched attitudes will be slow to change everywhere, the increased global connectivity and also information sharing via the internet may gradually shift social consciousness across diverse cultures. International human rights frameworks also create openings to advocate for the legal reforms by referring governments to their existing human rights commitments. Local LGBTQIA+ activists play a pivotal role in tailoring such advocacy to their unique cultural contexts.
Ultimately, lasting change requires going beyond the top-down policy changes to foster understanding and empathy at a community level. Grassroots education and storytelling programs led by the LGBTQIA+ community members themselves may slowly transform the social attitudes and behaviors in a way that promotes dignity and rights regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation. Although progress cannot be expected overnight, the global struggle for LBGTQIA+ equality reflects the timeless resilience of the human beings striving to freely express identity and love—across all borders in our beautifully diverse world.
Presented by SHAVA, this article is part of our commitment to embracing the diversity within the transgender community. SHAVA stands in solidarity with transgender people of color, advocating for acceptance and allyship that recognize and celebrate the richness of their diverse experiences.
