FGL: ILGA Report 1996

ILGA Report: State of the World, 1996

Legal Status of Homosexuality
Equal Treatment Measures for Lesbians and Gay Men
Lesbian and Gay Organisations and Press

Legal Status of Homosexuality

Africa
Country	Lesbian	Gay Male
Algeria	Illegal	Illegal
Angola	Illegal	Illegal
Benin	Illegal	Illegal
Botswana	Not mentioned	Illegal
Burkina Faso	Legal	Legal
Burundi	Not available	Not available
Cameroon	Illegal	Illegal
Cape Verde	Illegal	Illegal
Central African Republic	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Chad	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Comoros	Not available	Not available
Congo	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Djibouti	Not available	Not available
Egypt	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Equatorial Guinea	Not available	Not available
Ethiopia	Illegal	Illegal
Gabon	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Gambia	Not available	Not available
Ghana	Not mentioned	Illegal
Guinea	Not available	Not available
Guinea Bissau	Not available	Not available
Ivory Coast	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Kenya	Not mentioned	Illegal
Lesotho	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Liberia	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Libya	Illegal	Illegal
Madagascar	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Malawi	Illegal	Illegal
Mali	Not available	Not available
Mauritania	Illegal	Illegal
Mauritius	Illegal	Illegal
Morocco	Illegal	Illegal
Mozambique	Not mentioned	Illegal
Namibia	Not mentioned	Illegal
Niger	Not available	Not available
Nigeria	Not mentioned	Illegal
Reunion	Legal	Legal
Rwanda	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Sao Tome and Principe	Not available	Not available
Senegal	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Seychelles	Illegal	Illegal
Sierra Leone	Not available	Not available
Somalia	Not available	Not available
South Africa	Legal	Legal
Sudan	Illegal	Illegal
Swaziland	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Tanzania	Not mentioned	Illegal
Togo	Illegal	Illegal
Tunisia	Illegal	Illegal
Uganda	Not mentioned	Illegal
Zaire	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Zambia	Not mentioned	Illegal
Zimbabwe	Not mentioned	Illegal

Americas
Country	Lesbian	Gay Male
Antigua & Barbuda	Not mentioned	Illegal
Argentina	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Aruba	Legal	Legal
Bahamas	Illegal	Illegal
Barbados	Illegal	Illegal
Belize	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Bermuda	Not mentioned	Illegal
Bolivia	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Brazil	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Canada	Legal	Legal
Cayman Islands	Not mentioned	Illegal
Chile	Not mentioned	Illegal
Colombia	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Costa Rica	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Cuba	Illegal	Illegal
Dominican Republic	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Ecuador	Not mentioned	Illegal
El Salvador	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Falkland Islands/ Malvinas	Not mentioned	Legal
French Guyana	Legal	Legal
Greenland	Legal	Legal
Grenada	Not available	Not available
Guadeloupe	Legal	Legal
Guatemala	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Guyana	Illegal	Illegal
Haiti	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Honduras	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Jamaica	Not mentioned	Illegal
Martinique	Legal	Legal
Mexico	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Netherlands Antilles	Legal	Legal
Nicaragua	Illegal	Illegal
Panama	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Paraguay	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Peru	Legal	Legal
Puerto Rico (USA)	Illegal	Illegal
Saint Kitts and Nevis	Not available	Not available
Saint Lucia	Illegal	Illegal
Surinam	Legal	Legal
Trinidad and Tobago	Illegal	Illegal
Turks and Caicos Islands	Not mentioned	Illegal
United States	see below	see below
Uruguay	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Venezuela	Not mentioned	Not mentioned

United States
legal	Homosexual anal and oral sex is illegal	Anal and oral sex is illegal for both homo- and heterosexuals
Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, New York (State Court decision), New Jersey, Pennsylvania (State Court decision), West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois (the first, 1961), Winconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska and Hawaii.	Massachusetts, Maryland, District of Columbia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Tenessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Missouri, Michigan, Minnesota, Idaho, Utah and Arizona	Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma (in 1986 the State's highest criminal court decided that application to heterosexual sex was unconstitutional), Texas, Montana, Nevada.

Asia-Pacific
Country	Lesbian	Gay Male
Afghanistan	Illegal	Illegal
Australia (Federal) Queensland South Australia Tasmania Western Australia Capitol Territory New South Wales Northern Territory Victoria	Legal Not mentioned Legal Not mentioned Not mentioned Legal Not mentioned Legal Not mentioned	Legal Legal Legal Illegal Legal Legal Legal Legal Not mentioned
Bangladesh	Illegal	Illegal
Bhutan	Illegal	Illegal
Brunei	Illegal	Illegal
Burma/Myanmar	Not available	Not available
Cambodia	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
China	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Cook Islands (New Zealand Associated State)	Not mentioned	Illegal
Fiji Islands	Not mentioned	Illegal
French Polynesia	Legal	Legal
Guam	Not available	Not available
Hong Kong	Legal	Legal
India	Not mentioned	Illegal
Indonesia	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Japan	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Kazakhstan	Not mentioned	Illegal
Kiribati	Not mentioned	Illegal
Kyrgyzstan	Not mentioned	Illegal
Laos	Not available	Not available
Macau	Legal	Legal
Malaysia	Illegal	Illegal
Maldives	Not available	Not available
Marshall Islands	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Micronesia	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Mongolia	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Nauru	Not available	Not available
Nepal	Illegal	Illegal
New Caledonia	Legal	Legal
New Zealand	Not mentioned	Legal
Niue (New Zealand Associated State)	Not mentioned	Illegal
North Korea	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Pakistan	Illegal	Illegal
Papua New Guinea	Not mentioned	Illegal
Philippines	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Singapore	Illegal	Illegal
Solomon Islands	Not mentioned	Illegal
South Korea	Legal	Legal
Sri Lanka	Not mentioned	Illegal
Taiwan	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Tajikistan	Not mentioned	Illegal
Thailand	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Tokelau (New Zealand Associated State)	Not mentioned	Illegal
Tonga	Not mentioned	Illegal
Tuvalu	Not mentioned	Illegal
Turkey	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Turkmenistan	Not mentioned	Illegal
Uzbekistan	Not mentioned	Illegal
Vanuatu/New Hebrides	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Vietnam	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Western Samoa	Illegal	Illegal

Europe
Country	Lesbian	Gay Male
Albania	Legal	Legal
Andorra	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Armenia	Not mentioned	Illegal
Austria	Legal	Legal
Azerbaijan	Not mentioned	Illegal
Belarus	Not mentioned	Illegal
Belgium	Legal	Legal
Bosnia Hercegovina	Not mentioned	Illegal
Bulgaria	Legal	Legal
Croatia	Legal	Legal
Cyprus	Not mentioned	Illegal
Czech Republic	Legal	Legal
Denmark	Legal	Legal
Estonia	Legal	Legal
Faroe Islands	Legal	Legal
Finland	Legal	Legal
France	Legal	Legal
Georgia	Not mentioned	Illegal
Germany	Legal	Legal
Greece	Legal	Legal
Hungary	Legal	Legal
Iceland	Legal	Legal
Ireland	Not mentioned	legal
Italy	Legal	Legal
Latvia	Not mentioned	Legal
Liechtenstein	Legal	Legal
Lithuania	Legal	Legal
Luxembourg	Legal	Legal
Macedonia	Not mentioned	Illegal
Malta	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Moldova	Not mentioned	Legal
Monaco	Legal	Legal
Montenegro	Legal	Legal
Netherlands	Legal	Legal
Norway	Legal	Legal
Poland	Legal	Legal
Portugal	Legal	Legal
Romania	Illegal	Illegal
Russia	Not mentioned	Legal
San Marino	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Serbia	Legal	Legal
Slovakia	Legal	Legal
Slovenia	Legal	Legal
Spain	Legal	Legal
Sweden	Legal	Legal
Switzerland	Legal	Legal
Turkey	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Ukraine	Not mentioned	Legal
United Kingdom	Not mentioned	Legal
Vatican City	Not mentioned	Not mentioned

Middle East
Country	Lesbian	Gay Male
Bahrain	Illegal	Illegal
Iran	Illegal	Illegal
Iraq	Not mentioned	Not mentioned
Israel	Not mentioned	Legal
Jordan	Illegal	Illegal
Kuwait	Illegal	Illegal
Lebanon	Illegal	Illegal
Oman	Illegal	Illegal
Qatar	Illegal	Illegal
Saudi Arabia	Illegal	Illegal
Syria	Illegal	Illegal
United Arab Emirates	Illegal	Illegal
Yemen	Illegal	Illegal

Equal Treatment Measures for Lesbians and Gay Men

Anti-discrimination laws

The following countries have national legislation which bans discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation:

Canada
Denmark
France
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Slovenia
South Africa
Spain
Sweden

Partnership laws

In the following countries national legislation regulates lesbian and gay partnerships:

Denmark
Norway
Sweden
Iceland

Note: there are a significant number of countries where such legislation is currently being discussed in parliament. These include Belgium, Finland, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands. In the United States, the Hawaii Supreme Court is expected to rule shortly on whether marriage laws in this US state apply to lesbian and gay couples. In Hungary, Common-Law same-gender relationships are recognized. In cities and municipalities in France, Spain, Belgium and the United States, same-gender relationships are recognized. They are also recognized by some provinces in Canada and Spain, and by various international corporations.

Asylum

In the following countries sexual orientation has been accepted as a grounds for political asylum

Austria
Belgium
Canada
Denmark
Finland
Germany
Netherlands
Norway
Sweden
United States

Immigration

Lesbians and gay men are allowed to immigrate on the basis of a relationship with a national in the following countries:

Australia
Denmark
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Sweden

In Canada and the United Kingdom, partners have been granted residence permits on a case-by-case basis.

Military

In the following countries a clear official policy states that being lesbian or gay is no bar to serving in the military:

Australia
Belgium
Canada
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
Israel
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Sweden

Lesbian and Gay Organisations and Press

Africa
Country	Organisations	Press
Botswana	Yes	None
Egypt	Informal group(s)	None
Ghana	Yes	None
Kenya	Yes	None
Lesotho	None	None
Liberia	A gay group existed in the late eighties	None
Nigeria	Informal group(s)	None
South Africa	Yes	Yes
Uganda	Informal group(s)	None
Zimbabwe	Yes	Yes

Americas
Country	Organisations	Press
Argentina	Yes	Yes
Belize	Yes	None
Bolivia	Yes	None
Brazil	Yes	Yes
Canada	Yes	Yes
Chile	Yes	None
Colombia	Yes	Yes
Costa Rica	Yes	Yes
Dominican Republic	Yes	Yes
Ecuador	Yes	Yes
El Salvador	Yes	Yes
Guatemala	Yes	None
Honduras	Yes	None
Jamaica	A group existed in the eighties	None
Mexico	Yes	Yes
Netherlands Antilles	Yes	None
Nicaragua	Yes	None
Peru	Yes	Yes
Puerto Rico (USA)	Yes	Yes
Suriname	A group existed in the eighties	None
United States	Yes	Yes
Uruguay	Yes	None
Venezuela	Yes	None

Asia-Pacific
Country	Organisations	Press
Australia	Yes	Yes
Bangladesh	Informal group(s)	None
China	Yes	None
Hong Kong	Yes	Yes
India	Yes	Yes
Indonesia	Yes	Yes
Japan	Yes	Yes
Kazakhstan	Informal group(s)	None
Malaysia	Yes	None
New Zealand	Yes	Yes
Pakistan	Yes	None
Philippines	Yes	Yes
Singapore	Yes	None
Sri Lanka	Yes	None
Taiwan	Yes	None
Thailand	Yes	Yes
Turkey	Yes	Yes
Western Samoa	Informal group(s)	None

Europe
Country	Organisations	Press
Albania	Yes	None
Austria	Yes	Yes
Azerbaijan	None	None
Belarus	Informal group(s)	None
Belgium	Yes	Yes
Bulgaria	Yes	Yes
Croatia	Yes	Yes
Cyprus	Yes	None
Czech Republic	Yes	Yes
Denmark	Yes	Yes
Estonia	Yes	Yes
Finland	Yes	Yes
France	Yes	Yes
Germany	Yes	Yes
Greece	Yes	Yes
Hungary	Yes	Yes
Iceland	Yes	Yes
Ireland	Yes	Yes
Italy	Yes	Yes
Latvia	Yes	Yes
Liechtenstein	None	None
Lithuania	Yes	Yes
Luxembourg	Yes	None
Malta	Yes	None
Moldova	Yes	None
Netherlands	Yes	Yes
Norway	Yes	Yes
Poland	Yes	Yes
Portugal	Yes	Yes
Romania	Yes	None
Russia	Yes	Yes
Serbia	Yes	None
Slovakia	Yes	None
Slovenia	Yes	Yes
Spain	Yes	Yes
Sweden	Yes	Yes
Switzerland	Yes	Yes
Turkey	Yes	Yes
Ukraine	Yes	Yes
United Kingdom	Yes	Yes

Middle East / West Asia
Country	Organisations	Press
Iran	None. A group of lesbian and gay refugees operates in Sweden.	None
Israel	Yes	Yes

Andy Quan
coordinator.

ILGA Annual Report 1996

ILGA

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