LGBTQ rights by country or territory

World laws on homosexuality

File:US SSM Laws.png

Legality of same-sex unions in the US.

Legality of same-sex unions in Europe.

  Same sex marriage recognised

  Civil unions recognised

  Unregistered cohabitation recognised

  Issue under political consideration

  Unrecognised or unknown

  Same sex marriage constitutionally banned

The countries of the world have a wide variety of laws relating to sexual relations between people of the same sex - everything from full same-sex marriage to the death penalty as punishment for homosexual conduct. Among the first laws on same-sex relations ca. 600 BC are those in ancient Crete and Sparta, which encouraged all adult men to engage in mentoring homoerotic friendships.

In addition to laws against the practice of homosexuality, many countries around the world consider calling a person homosexual sufficient grounds for a libel lawsuit. For example, Jason Donovan and Liberace have sued newspapers that ran articles insinuating they were gay; both men won their lawsuits.

History of homosexuality laws

The first recorded laws 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 much older), and they prescribe the death penalty. It is largely seen as a distinction between Judaism and Paganism on par with worshiping "false gods". At the time same-sex relations were incorporated into many Pagan religions. This pattern was continued throughout history with punitive laws arising from traditional interpretations of Judaism and its descendants: Christianity and Islam. With the advent of colonialism this attitude spread along with political control from the imperial powers of the nations with Abrahamic state religion. In post-colonial times some non-Abrahamic religions have maintained their adoptive views of homosexuality. Usually an Abrahamic religion is the primary factor when accounting for a law against homosexuality and the major supporter.

Christian psychologists in Europe also attempted to rationalize the negative views of sodomy predominant in Europe in the Middle Ages with secular language, calling it a disease, by which means it was later absorbed as non-religious science in Communist states.

Homosexuality laws

This is a list of laws around the world concerning homosexuality. The list is arranged alphabetically by region. It should be noted that this list should not be assumed to represent a standard for measuring a nation's views, per se. Many nations which retained negative laws for a lengthy period of time, or even retain them today, may in practice be less oppressive of homosexuality than this suggests, with such laws simply being unenforced anachronisms. Similarly, a country which lacks formal laws against it may possess a culture which is openly hostile and may chose to persecute individuals by other means. No country in the world just criminalizes lesbianism or female-female sex, usually all homosexuality or just male homosexuality is still illegal in about 70 countries and/or even heterosexual sodomy (Sodomy is not just anal sex, it can also include oral sex, fornification or any sexual behavoiur that does not lead to procreation or birth of a child within marriage. The age of consent is equal - Unless it is noted below.

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

☆|Gibraltar||No, age of consent 18 just for male-male sex and 16 for others from 1993; Soon could be equalized [39]||-||Considered||Yes||No||AD since 2004[40]. See LGBT rights in Gibraltar

Africa
Country	Laws against homosexuality	Penalty	Same-sex Unions	Laws against discrimination	Adoption	Comments
☆Algeria	Yes	Fine - 3 years	-	No	No	See LGBT rights in Algeria.
☆Angola	Yes	Labour camps	-	No	No	Page 6 of [2] and LGBT rights in Angola.
Benin	Yes	3 years	-	No	No
Botswana	Yes	Fine - 7 years	-	No	No
☆Burkina Faso	No	-	-	No	No	See LGBT rights in Burkina Faso.
Burundi	No	-	-	No	No
☆Cameroon	Yes	Fine - 5 years	-	No	No	See LGBT rights in Cameroon.
☆Cape Verde	No (Since 2004)	-	-	No	No	See LGBT rights in Cape Verde.
☆Central African Republic	No	-	-	No	No	See LGBT rights in the Central African Republic.
☆Chad	No	-	-	No	No	See LGBT rights in Chad.
☆Comoros	No	-	-	No	No	See LGBT rights in Comoros.
☆Republic of the Congo	No	-	-	No	No	See LGBT rights in the Republic of the Congo.
☆Democratic Republic of the Congo	No	-	-	No	No	See LGBT rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Côte d'Ivoire	No	-	-	No	No	-
☆Djibouti	Yes	10 - 12 years	-	No	No	See LGBT rights in Djibouti.
☆Egypt	No*	-	No	[3] and LGBT rights in Egypt.
Equatorial Guinea	No	-	-	No	No	-
Eritrea	Yes	3 - 10 years	-	No	No	-
☆Ethiopia	Yes	10 days - 3 years	-	No	No	See LGBT rights in Ethiopia.
☆Gabon	No	-	-	No	No	See LGBT rights in Gabon.
Gambia	Yes	Fine - 14 years	-	No	No	-
☆Ghana	Yes	?	-	No	No	See LGBT rights in Ghana.
Guinea	Yes	6 months - 3 years	-	No	No	-
Guinea Bissau	Yes	Labour camps	-	No	No	Page 17 of [4]
☆Kenya	Male only	Fine - 14 years	-	No	No	See LGBT rights in Kenya.
Lesotho	Male only	?	-	No	No	-
Liberia	Yes	Fine	-	No	No	-
Libya	Yes	Fine - 5 years	-	No	No	-
Madagascar	No	-	-	No	No	-
Malawi	Yes	? - 14 years	-	No	No	-
☆Mali	No	-	-	No	No	See LGBT rights in Mali.
Mauritania	Yes	Death	-	No	No	-
Mauritius	Yes	Fine - 5 years	-	No	No	-
☆Morocco	Yes	6 months - 3 years	-	No	No	See LGBT rights in Morocco.
Mozambique	Yes	Labor camps	-	No	No	Page 25 of [5].
Namibia	No	-	-	Yes	No	Constitutional protection for sexual orientation in Namibia since 2005 and laws against discrimination in the labor code since 1992.
☆Niger	No	-	-	No	No	See LGBT rights in Niger.
☆Nigeria	Yes*	5 - 14 years/Death	-	No	No	*Areas under Sharia have instituted death for men and women. Any content, avocating groups or associations, support, talking to, marriage, etc regarding LGBT persons can land you in jail for at least four years [6]. See LGBT rights in Nigeria.
Rwanda	No	-	-	No	No	[7], [8].
São Tomé and Príncipe	Yes	Labor camps	-	No	No	Page 34 of [9].
Senegal	Yes	1 month - 5 years	-	No	No	-
Seychelles	Yes	Fine - 2 years	-	No	No	-
Sierra Leone	Yes	Life	-	Yes*	No	*The Anti-Corruption Commission stated in a press release that in a bid to attract competent and qualified staff, they operate a transparent recruitment policy, which even forbids discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
Somalia	Yes*	3 months - 3 years/Death	-	No	No	*Areas under Sharia have instituted death for men and women.
☆South Africa	No	-	Same-sex marriage	Yes	Yes	Constitutional protection for sexual orientation in South Africa since 1996 and the first country in Africa to legalise same-sex marriage. See LGBT rights in South Africa
Sudan	Yes	5 years - Death	-	No	No	-
Swaziland	Male only*	Fine US$90 - Prison	-	No	No	*Pending law, page 9 (Number 12), includes outlawing lesbian sex conduct. [10] and page 37 [11].
☆Tanzania	Yes	Fine - 25 years	-	No	No	In Zanzibar male homosexual acts are punished with up to 25 years imprisonment or fine. Lesbian acts are punished with up 7 years imprisonment or fine. See LGBT rights in Tanzania.
Togo	Yes	Fine - 3 years	-	No	No	-
☆Tunisia	Yes	Fine - 3 years	-	No	No	See LGBT rights in Tunisia.
Uganda	Male only	Fine - Life	-	No	No	The first country in the world to have a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage (since 2004).
Zambia	Male only	Fine - 14 years	-	No	No	-
☆Zimbabwe	Male only	Fine - 1 year	-	No	No	In July the Zimbabwe government passed the "sexual deviancy laws". [12], [13] and LGBT rights in Zimbabwe.
Asia
Country	Laws against homosexuality	Penalty	Same-sex Unions	Laws against discrimination	Adoption	Comments
☆Afghanistan	?	?	No	No	?	? - Unsure if homosexuality is a crime or not since the country is undergoing a period of relative chaos due to the continuing battles between NATO forces and the resurgent Taliban, but the death penalty (imposed under the Taliban) is no longer used. The Penal Code from 1976 in force, stipulates long imprisonment for adultery and pederasty. [14] and LGBT rights in Afghanistan.
☆Bahrain	Male only	Fine - 10 years	-	No	No	See LGBT rights in Bahrain.
Bangladesh	Yes	10 years - Life	-	No	No	-
Bhutan	Yes*	1 month - 1 year	-	No	No	*In 2004, the penal code of Bhutan, page 9 of [15]. However, there are no known cases of anyone having ever been charged with this petty misdemeanor. Little is known about gay life in Bhutan, as Bhutanese culture does not share the typical western view of heterosexuality and homosexuality. Some people have even called it an openly bisexual society, though this is disputed. [16].
Brunei	Yes	Fine - 10 years	-	No	No	-
☆Cambodia	No	-	-	No	No	Former king Norodom Sihanouk has called for legalization of gay marriage. See LGBT rights in Cambodia.
☆China (PRC)	No	-	-	No	No	Marriage laws under-review. See [17] and LGBT rights in China
☆Hong Kong	No	-	-	Considered*	No	*AD under consideration. See LGBT rights in China#Hong Kong.
☆India	Yes*	Fine - Life/10 years	-	No	No	*Law remains on books since 1860, but government does not prosecute, criminalizes "carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman, or animal". Section 377 is currently facing constitutional challenge at the Delhi High Court in a petition filed by Naz Foundation. Homosexual marriages are de facto banned. See LGBT rights in India.
Indonesia	No*	-	-	No	No	*In 2002, the Aceh province was given the right to instate Islamic sharia by laws by the national parliament. Such law only applies to Muslims, and for example the city of Palembang in South Sumatra has introduced jail time and hefty fines, for homosexual sex [18] and in 2003, a proposal to nationally criminalize homosexuality failed.
☆Iran	Yes	For men:Prison - Death. Situation unclear with women	-	No	No	Sex change operations have been given official government support as means to cure a gender identity disease. Law in Iran, in general, is not formally in order and is often abused by government officials. From many years there aren't certified executions for homosexuality, although some retain teenagers Mahmoud Asgari and Ayaz Marhoni executed for this and not for rape.. See LGBT rights in Iran.
☆Iraq	No*	-	-	No	No	*No provisions of the current Iraqi criminal code deal with homosexuality. The U.S. occupation restored the criminal code back to its original 1969 edition. Before 2003, the criminal code was amended in 2001 to include the death penalty for homosexuality. However currently, death squads are operating in the country killing gays. [19] and LGBT rights in Iraq.
☆Israel	No	-	Unregistered cohabition, Recognition of same-sex marriages performed abroad	Yes	?	Fairly strong support for giving legal recognition to same-sex couples. Only Middle Eastern nation to support gay rights legislation. The armed forces of Israel allow service without any distinction based on sexual orientation. See LGBT rights in Israel.
☆Japan	No, but a higher age of consent in some prefectures	-	-	Yes	No	AD in Human Rights Act since 2001. See LGBT rights in Japan.
☆Jordan	No*	-	-	No	No	*While not a crime, reports have shown that LGBT people can be victims of vigilante "honor killings". See LGBT rights in Jordan.
☆Kazakhstan	No	-	-	No	No	See LGBT rights in Kazakhstan.
Kuwait	Yes	Fine - 7 years	-	No	No	-
Kyrgyzstan	No	-	-	No	No	-
Laos	No	-	-	No	No	The Penal Code: [20], [21].
☆Lebanon	Yes	Fine - 1 year	-	No	No	A small public campaign exists to legalize homosexual relations between consenting adults in private. See LGBT rights in Lebanon.
Macao	No	-	-	No	No	See LGBT rights in China.
Malaysia	Yes	Fine - 20 years	-	No	No	Former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who was himself jailed for homosexuality, has called for their repeal. Marina Mahathir, the daughter of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, has called for an end to discrimination based on sexual orientation.[22] However, during Mahathir's term as Prime Minister, he warned gay ministers in foreign countries not to bring along their partners while visiting his nation. [23].
Maldives	Male only	Fine - 10 years	-	No	No	-
Mongolia	No*	-	-	No	No	*"Satisfaction of sexual desire in unnatural manner" in the Penal Code of 2002, and cannot be used for consensual homosexuality in private anymore. [24].
Myanmar/Burma	Yes*	10 years - Life	-	No	No	*One of the largest democracy activist organizations in exile has voted to decriminalize same-sex relations. See [25].
Nepal	Yes	Fine (5,000 rupees, approximately US$115.00) - 1 year	-	No	No	The Penal Code: [26].
☆North Korea	No	-	-	No	No	No public discussion or reference to homosexuality is allowed. Seen as a capitalist disease or vice. See LGBT rights in North Korea.
Oman	Yes	Fine - 3 years	-	No	No	-
☆Pakistan	Yes*	2 years - Life	-	No	No	*The law applies to both men and women [27] and LGBT rights in Pakistan.
☆Palestinian Authority (Gaza)	Male only*	? - 10 years	-	No	No	*Male homosexuality is illegal in Gaza, by the Criminal Code Ordinance 1936 still in force. Some are arrested or tortured and LGBT Palestinians often attempt to flee to Israel as they are targeted for death in PA-controlled areas. [28], [29] and LGBT Palestinian issues.
☆Philippines	No	-	Pro gay Philippines(1994),Lad-lad(2006)*	Considered*	No	*AD in consideration and the Communist Party assist same-sex marriage. Same-sex marriages banned since 2003, yet there is a large support for repeal. See LGBT rights in the Philippines and Homosexuality in the Philippines
Qatar	Yes	Fine - 5 years	-	No	No	-
☆Saudi Arabia	Yes	Death	-	No	No	Jail time, fines or whipping may be used in lieu of the death penalty. See LGBT rights in Saudi Arabia
☆Singapore	Yes*	2 years (Section 377A in Singapore Penal Code); Maybe soon to be "repealed" [30]	-	No	No	*Law is rarely enforced, usually when it suspects risk of HIV infections during events such as sex parties [31]. The revised Penal Code reduces to 2 years in "maintained" Section 377A. Government officials have made calls to embrace diversity and to legalize anal and oral sex for 'Gross indencency' between men [32]. Former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong stated that openly gay people can be employed in the civil workforce. See LGBT rights in Singapore.
☆South Korea	No	-	-	No	No	No mention of homosexuality in Constitution or Civil Penal Code, although in practice widespread discrimination against gay people and censorship against gay websites is fairly common. Military Penal Code states up to a maximum of one year servitude or dishonorable discharge for homosexual acts performed while on active duty. See LGBT rights in South Korea.
Sri Lanka	Yes	Fine - 10 years	-	No	No	-
☆Syria	Yes	Fine - 3 years	-	No	No	See LGBT rights in Syria.
☆Taiwan (ROC)	No	-	Considered	Yes	No	Pending law allows civil unions or same-sex marriage. See LGBT rights in Taiwan.
Tajikistan	No	-	-	No	No	-
☆Thailand	No	-	-	No	No	From 2005, Thailand allows LGBT people to serve in the military [33] and LGBT rights in Thailand.
Timor-Leste	No	-	-	No	No	-
*Turkey	No	-	-	No	No	See LGBT rights in Turkey.
Turkmenistan	Male only	Fine - 2 years	-	No	No	-
☆United Arab Emirates	Yes	Unknown - Death	-	No	No	See LGBT rights in United Arab Emirates.
Uzbekistan	Male only*	Fine* - 3 years*	-	No	No	*"Besoqolbozlik" (Only applies to anal sex) [34], page 43 of [35].
Vietnam	No	-	-	No	No	Same-sex marriages banned since 1998. Reports suggest that this ban extends to a prohibition on domestic partnerships and civil unions and/or having any sort of public commitment celebration.
West Bank	No	-	-	No	No	See LGBT rights in Israel.
Yemen	Yes	Flogging - Death	-	No	No	-
Europe Note: membership of the European Union not only requires repeal of anti-homosexuality legislation, the Treaty of Amsterdam requires anti-discrimination legislation to be enacted by its member states.
Country	Laws against homosexuality	Penalty	Same-sex Unions	Laws against discrimination	Adoption	Comments
☆Albania	No	-	-	No	No	See LGBT rights in Albania.
☆Andorra	No	-	Stable unions	Yes*	Yes	*AD since 2005 [36] and LGBT rights in Andorra.
☆Armenia	No	-	-	No	No	See LGBT rights in Armenia.
☆Austria	No	-	Unregistered cohabitation	Yes	No	Unregistered cohabitation since 2003; Registered partnership law currently being drafted. See LGBT rights in Austria.
☆Azerbaijan	No	-	-	No	No	See LGBT rights in Azerbaijan.
☆Belgium	No	-	Same-sex marriage	Yes	Yes	See LGBT rights in Belgium.
☆Belarus	No	-	-	No	No	LGBT people can be subjected to discrimination by the people and the government. See LGBT rights in Belarus.
☆Bosnia-Herzegovina	No	-	-	Yes	No	AD in Gender Equality Act since 2003. See LGBT rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina
☆Bulgaria	No	-	-	Yes	No	LGBT rights in Bulgaria.
☆Croatia	No	-	Unregistered cohabitation	Yes	No	See LGBT rights in Croatia.
☆Cyprus	No*, age of consent is 17 for all (Except for Woman/Boy sex is 13) age of consent Europe [37]	-	-	Yes	No	*Also still illegal in Northern Cyprus soon to be repealed by a new Criminal Code (See below). See LGBT rights in Cyprus.
☆Czech Republic	No	-	Registered partnership	Yes	No	See LGBT rights in the Czech Republic.
☆Denmark	No	-	Registered partnership	Yes	No	First country to legally recognise same-sex partnerships of any kind in 1989. See LGBT rights in Denmark.
☆Estonia	No	-	-	Yes	No	See LGBT rights in Estonia.
☆Faroe Islands	No	-	Considered	Yes*	No	*AD from 2006 [38] and LGBT rights in the Faroe Islands.
☆Finland	No	-	Registered partnership	Yes	No	See LGBT rights in Finland.
☆France	No	-	pacte civil de solidarité	Yes	No	It should be noted that pacte civil de solidarité (French civil unions) is a common choice with all couples. See LGBT rights in France.
☆Georgia	No	-	-	Yes	No	See LGBT rights in Georgia (country).
☆Germany	No	-	Registered partnership	Yes	No	Constitutional protection for sexual orientation in some states of Germany. See LGBT rights in Germany.
☆Greece	No, age of consent is 15 for all, but just for male-male sex (For the partner over 18) is 17	-	Considered	Yes	No	See LGBT rights in Greece.
Bailiwick of Guernsey - Including Alderney, Herm and Sark	No, age of consent 18 for male-male sex and 16 for other acts from 1999; Soon could be equalized [41]	-	Considered	Considered*	No	*AD in consideration and a proposed law to legalise civil partnerships passed its first reading in the States of Deliberation in 2006 [42].
☆Hungary	No	-	Unregistered cohabitation; registered partnership from 1 January 2009	Yes	No	Registered partnerships come into force from 1 January 2009. See LGBT rights in Hungary.
☆Iceland	No	-	Registered partnership	Yes	Yes	See LGBT rights in Iceland.
☆Ireland	No	-	Civil partnerships coming soon	Yes	Yes	Civil Partnerships Bill 2007 (similar to the UK) - Currently awaiting approval [43] [44] [45]. See LGBT rights in the Republic of Ireland.
☆Isle of Man	No	-	Yes (recognised only)	Yes (since 2005)	No	See LGBT rights in the Isle of Man.
☆Italy	No	-	Some regions	Yes	No	Civil unions are recognized in Tuscany, Umbria, Emilia Romagna, Campania, Marche, Veneto, Puglia, Lazio, Liguria and Abruzzo. See LGBT rights in Italy.
☆Bailiwick of Jersey	No	-	Yes	Yes	Yes	Civil partnerships, AD laws and Adoption provided [46] Civil partnerships in Jersey.
Kosovo	No	-	-	Yes*	No	*AD in Kosovo since 2001. See LGBT rights in Serbia.
☆Latvia	No	-	-	Yes	No	Same-sex marriages banned. See LGBT rights in Latvia.
☆Liechtenstein	No	-	Considered	Considered	Considered	Registered partnerships, AD laws and Adoption are under consideration; See LGBT rights in Liechtenstein.
☆Lithuania	No	-	-	Yes	No	See LGBT rights in Lithuania.
☆Luxembourg	No	-	Registered partnerships	Yes	No	See LGBT rights in Luxembourg.
☆Macedonia	No	-	-	No	No	See LGBT rights in Macedonia.
☆Malta	No	-	-	Yes	No	See LGBT rights in Malta.
☆Moldova	No	-	-	Considered	No	See LGBT rights in Moldova.
☆Monaco	No	-	No	No	No	See LGBT rights in Monaco.
☆Montenegro	No	-	-	No	No	See LGBT rights in Montenegro.
☆Netherlands	No	-	Same-sex marriage and Registered partnerships	Yes	Yes	The first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage in 2001. See LGBT rights in the Netherlands.
☆Norway	No	-	Registered partnership	Yes	Step-child adoption only	See LGBT rights in Norway.
☆Poland	No	-	Considered*	Yes	No	*Civil unions considered. See LGBT rights in Poland.
☆Portugal	No	-	Registered partnership	Yes	No	Constitutional protection for sexual orientation in Portugal since 2004. See LGBT rights in Portugal.
☆Romania	No	-	-	Yes	No	See LGBT rights in Romania.
☆Russia	No	-	-	No	No	Proposals (By NPRF) to recriminalize homosexuality failed four times in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005. See LGBT rights in Russia.
☆San Marino	No	-	-	No	No	See LGBT rights in San Marino.
☆Serbia	No	-	-	No	No	See LGBT rights in Serbia.
☆Slovakia	No	-	-	Yes	No	See LGBT rights in Slovakia.
☆Slovenia	No	-	Registered partnership	Yes	No	See LGBT rights in Slovenia.
☆Spain	No	-	Same-sex marriage	Yes	Yes	Unregistered and Registered Cohabitation in a number of regions. See LGBT rights in Spain.
☆Sweden	No	-	Registered partnership	Yes	Yes	Constitutional protection for sexual orientation in Sweden since 2003 and partnerships have the same rights as heterosexual marriage including adoption, but are legally distinct from marriage. See LGBT rights in Sweden.
☆Switzerland	No	-	Registered partnership	No	No	Constitutional protection for sexual orientation in Switzerland since 2000 based on "way of life". See LGBT rights in Switzerland.
☆Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (not recognised internationally)	Male only; To be "legal" soon in a new drafted Criminal Code* [47]	Fine/10-14 years	No	No	No	*A new Criminal Code whould "repeal" law(s) against sexual conduct between men. See LGBT rights in Cyprus.
☆Ukraine	No	-	No	No	No	See LGBT rights in Ukraine.
☆United Kingdom	No	-	Civil partnership	Yes	Yes/No*	*England and Wales since 2005, Scotland since 2006; Northern Ireland no adoption. See LGBT rights in the United Kingdom.
☆Vatican City	No*	-	No	Yes**	No	*Homosexuality is technically legal, but its manifestation contrary to the teachings of the ruling Roman Catholic Church. **In Catholic doctrine. See LGBT rights in the Vatican City
North America
Country	Laws against homosexuality	Penalty	Same-sex Unions	Laws against discrimination	Adoption	Comments
Anguilla	No	-	No	-	-	Anguilla is a British Overseas Territory. Homosexuality between two consenting adults in private was expressly legalised under the Caribbean Territories (Criminal Law) Order, 2000.
Antigua and Barbuda	Yes	15 years	-	No	-	British laws are not applied to Antigua & Barbuda, and therefore the Sexual Offenses Act 1995 criminalizing homosexual acts, is enforceable.[48].
☆Aruba	No	-	Can not be performed, but is recognized	Yes	Yes	The Dutch Government states that as part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Aruba is obliged to recognize civil unions and same-sex marriage as valid. However, Aruba cannot perform SSM's, but has to be recognised by order of the Supreme Court in 2007 [49] LGBT rights in Aruba
☆Bahamas	No, same-gender sex "in Public" is a 20 year jail sentence and the age of consent "in private" for homosexual sex is 18, 16 for heterosexual sex [50]	-	-	No	-	See LGBT rights in the Bahamas.
Barbados	Yes	Life	-	No	-	Laws currently under review - technically still illegal, but not enforced [51].
Belize	Yes*	10 years	-	No	-	*Homosexuality re-criminalized from 2003. See[52] and also under section 26 ii (d) of the immigration act 1958, "Any prostitute or homosexual or any person who may be living on or receiving or may have been living on or receiving the proceeds of prostitution or homosexual behavior." is outlawed from incoming to Belize. See[53].
Bermuda	No, age of consent 18 just for male-male sex, 16 for others from 1994 [54]	-	Considered	Considered*	-	*AD in consideration [55].
British Virgin Islands	No	-	No	Yes; discrimination on grounds of sexuality is prohibited under the 2007 Constitution	-	British Virgin Islands is a British Overseas Territory. Homosexuality between two consenting adults in private was expressly legalised under the Caribbean Territories (Criminal Law) Order, 2000.
☆Canada	No, the age of consent (The "age of protection" as it is called in Canada) 18 for anal sex, 14 for all non-anal sex, regardless of sexuality of the participants, since 1988 [56]	-	Same-sex marriage	Yes	-	Anti-discriminatory laws provided by constitution and Egan v. Canada; in all provincial/territorial civil rights codes since Vriend v. Alberta. Common-law marriage since M. v. H., 1999; SSM since Civil Marriage Act, 2005. See LGBT rights in Canada.
Cayman Islands	No	-	No	Yes	-	Cayman Islands is a British Dependent Territory. Homosexuality between two consenting adults in private was expressly legalised under the Caribbean Territories (Criminal Law) Order, 2000.
☆Costa Rica	No	-	Considered	Yes*	-	*Anti-discrimination law since 1998. See [57]; Same-sex marriages and scandalous sodomy is banned. See LGBT rights in Costa Rica
☆Cuba	No	-	Considered*	No	-	*Civil unions or partnerships may be considered; See LGBT rights in Cuba.
Dominica	Yes	10 years	-	No	-	From 1995 to 2000, 35 persons were arrested for the crime of buggery [58].
Dominican Republic	No	-	-	No	-	-
El Salvador	No	-	No	No	No	It is highly discriminated by society being homosexual making uncomfortable for people to come out
Greenland	No	-	Yes	Yes	-	See Civil Union.
Grenada	Male only	10 years	-	No	-	.
☆Guadeloupe	No	-	Pacte civil de solidarité	Yes	-	Guadeloupe is a Département Français d'Outre-mer, so French Law is in force. See LGBT rights in France.
Guatemala	No	-	-	Yes	-	AD in Youth and Childhood Act since 1997.
☆Haiti	No	-	-	No	-	See LGBT rights in Haiti.
☆Honduras	No	-	-	No	-	Same-sex marriages and adoption banned in the Constitution since 2005. See LGBT rights in Honduras.
☆Jamaica	Male only	10 years hard labor	-	No	-	Jamaica has been quoted as the worst place in all of the Americas for LGBT people. See LGBT rights in Jamaica.
☆Martinique	No	-	Pacte civil de solidarité.	Yes	-	Martinique is a Département Français d'Outre-mer, so French Law is in force. See LGBT rights in France.
☆Mexico	No	-	Civil unions (Mexico City and Coahuila)	Yes*	-	*Mexican Congress reformed the Constitution in 2001, to forbid discrimination of any kind; in 2003, this change produced the Federal Law to Prevent Discrimination that forbids discrimination by sexual orientation. Civil unions (Mexico City and Coahuila). See LGBT rights in Mexico.
Montserrat	No	-	No	-	-	Montserrat is a British Overseas Territory. Homosexuality between two consenting adults in private was expressly legalised under the Caribbean Territories (Criminal Law) Order, 2000.
☆Netherlands Antilles	No	-	Can not be performed, only recognised	Yes	Yes	As part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, civil unions and same-sex marriage are fully recognized as valid, however, they cannot be performed in the Netherlands Antilles themselves. See LGBT rights in the Netherlands.
☆Nicaragua	Yes; No (from March 2008)	1-3 years (No penalty from March 2008)	-	No	-	*Homosexuality re-crimilized from 1992, in Article 204, people who induced, promoted, propagandized or practiced Sodomy in a scandalous way [59] (Article 204 going to be repealed from March 2008) [60] [61] LGBT rights in Nicaragua.
☆Panama	No	-	-	No	-	LGBT persons are banned in Army, Milatary and Police services only. See LGBT rights in Panama.
☆Puerto Rico	No (Since 2005)	-	-	Considered*	-	*Civil unions considered and debated. Puerto Rico is a devoutly Christian island, and homosexuality is not practiced openly. See LGBT rights in Puerto Rico.
Saint Kitts and Nevis	Male only	10 years	-	No	-	-
Saint Lucia	Male only	Fine-10 years	-	No	-	-
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Yes	Fine-10 years	-	No	-	-
☆Trinidad and Tobago	Yes*	25 years	No	No	No	*Applies to both men and women. Also under Article 8 (18/1) of the Immigration Act, homosexual men and women are not allowed to enter the country. [62] and LGBT rights in Trinidad and Tobago.
Turks and Caicos Islands	No	-	No	-	-	Turks and Caicos Islands is a British Overseas Territory. Homosexuality between two consenting adults in private was expressly legalised under the Caribbean Territories (Criminal Law) Order, 2000.
☆United States	No	-	Civil Unions: Vermont, Connecticut, New Jersey, and New Hampshire (from January 2008). Domestic partnerships: California, Maine, Oregon (from January 2008), Washington, District of Columbia, and Hawaii. Same-sex marriage performed and recognized: in Massachusetts and only recognized in New York and Rhode Island.	In 20 states*	10 states	*13 states cover sexual orientation and gender identity, 7 only cover sexual orientation and 30 do not cover either Human Rights Campaign LGBT rights in the United States.
Oceania
Country	Laws against homosexuality	Penalty	Same-sex Unions	Laws against discrimination	Adoption	Comments
American Samoa	No	-	-	No	No	[63].
☆Australia and Norfolk Island	No, however Queensland's, age of consent for anal sex is set at 18, 16 for all non-anal sex, regardless of any participants, since 1990 [64]	-	Registered partnerships: The cities of Melbourne and Sydney; The states of Tasmania and Victoria; Unregistered co-habitation: Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory, Norfolk Island, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and New South Wales	Yes, all states and territories, but not in Commonwealth legislation.	Tasmania (biological child), Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and Western Australia only; Other states/territories ban this	58 Commonwealth laws still discriminate same-gender couples - By using the term 'member of the opposite sex'. Same-sex marriage and civil unions are banned under Commonwealth law from 2004. See Recognition of same-sex relationships in Australia and LGBT rights in Australia.
☆Cook Islands	Male only*	Fine - 14 years	No	No	No	*Illegal, despite being part of New Zealand. See LGBT rights in New Zealand.
☆Fiji	No (since 2005)	-	-	-	-	See LGBT rights in Fiji.
Guam	No	-	-	Yes*	Yes LGBT adoption, [65]
Kiribati	Male only	Fine-14 years	-	No	No	-
Marshall Islands	No (Since 2004) [66]	-	-	No	No
Micronesia	No	-	-	-	No	-
Nauru	Male only	14 years hard labor	-	-	No	Legislation indexed in written laws of the former criminal code of Queensland (When Nauru became independent from Australia, Queensland in 1962).
☆New Caledonia	No	-	-	Considered. See Pacte civil de solidarité.	Considered	See LGBT rights in France.
☆New Zealand	No	-	Civil unions	Yes	Yes	See LGBT rights in New Zealand.
☆Niue	Male only*	Fine-10 years	-	No	No	*Illegal, despite being part of New Zealand. See LGBT rights in New Zealand.
Palau	Male only	Fine-10 years	-	No	No	-
Papua New Guinea	Male only	Fine-14 years	-	No	No	-
☆Pitcairn Island	No	-	Yes	Yes	No	Pitcairn Island is under British law. See LGBT rights in the United Kingdom.
Samoa	Yes	Fine-7 years [67]	-	No	No	[68].
Solomon Islands	Yes	Fine-14 years	-	No	No	-
☆Tahiti / French Polynesia	No	-	-	No	No	See LGBT rights in France.
☆Tokelau	Male only*	Fine-10 years	-	No	No	*Illegal, despite being part of New Zealand. See LGBT rights in New Zealand.
Tonga	Male only	-	No	No	-	-
Tuvalu	Male only	Fine-14 years	-	No	No	-
Vanuatu	No, age of consent is 18 for same-sex activity, while it is 15 for opposite-sex activity [69]	-	-	No	No	-
South America
Country	Laws against homosexuality	Penalty	Same-sex Unions	Laws against discrimination	Adoption	Comments
☆Argentina	No	-	Civil unions in Buenos Aires City and Rio Negro Province.	Yes	No	There are no national anti-discriminatory laws, however, the cities of Buenos Aires and Rosario have specific laws protecting against gay discrimination. Debating Same sex marriage. See LGBT rights in Argentina.
Bolivia	No	-	-	No	No	-
☆Brazil	No	-	Civil unions in Rio Grande do Sul.	Yes*	Yes	*Constitutional protection for sexual orientation in some states of Brazil. See LGBT rights in Brazil.
☆Chile	No, age of consent 18 for same-sex sexual activity, 14 for opposite-sex sexual activity.	-	Considered*	Considered*	No	*AD and civil unions in considered. See LGBT rights in Chile.
☆Colombia	No	-	Civil unions	Considered*	No	*AD considered. See LGBT rights in Colombia.
☆Ecuador	No	-	No	Yes	No	See LGBT rights in Ecuador.
☆Falkland Islands	No	-	Civil partnership	Yes	Yes	Falkland Islands comes under British law. See LGBT rights in the United Kingdom.
☆French Guiana	No	-	Yes Pacte civil de solidarité.	Yes	No	French Law applies. See LGBT rights in France.
☆Guyana	Male only	Life (The only country in South America to be still illegal)	-	Considered*	No	*Sexual Orientation protection was about to be amended into the constitution of Guyana, then the "council of churches" stopped and blocked this reform from happening in 2003 [70].
Paraguay	No	-	No	No	No
Peru	No	-	-	Yes	No	-
☆Suriname	No, age of consent 18 for same-sex activity, 16 for opposite-sex activity - Section 302 is rarely enforced [71]	-	No	No	No	See LGBT rights in Suriname.
☆Uruguay	No	-	Civil unions coming soon	Yes	No	See LGBT rights in Uruguay.
☆Venezuela	No	-	No	Yes	No	The 1999 Organic labor Law provides protection for LGBT people. See LGBT rights in Venezuela.

See also

• Age of consent notes where there is a different threshold for same-sex sexual activity vs. opposite-sex sexual activity.
• Buggery
• Civil rights movement
• Civil union
• LGBT adoption
• Heterosexism
• Homophobia
• LGBT rights by country
• Religion and homosexuality
• Same-sex marriage
• Sexual Revolution
• Socialism and LGBT rights
• Sodomy law

External links

• Antidiscrimination Legislation, April 1999, a worldwide summary IGLHRC (pdf)
• International LGBT and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC)
• International Lesbian and LGBT Association
• International Lesbian and LGBT Association World Legal Survey (2000)
• Sodomy Laws Around the World
• State Homophobia, world map, ILGA (2004)
• New Internationalist sexual minorities map
• Where Having Sex is a Crime: Criminalization and Decriminalization of Homosexual Acts, IGLHRC (2003)
• Where You Can Marry: Global Summary of Registered Partnership, Domestic Partnership, and Marriage Laws, IGLHRC (November 2003)
• State-sponsored Homophobia (April 2007)