Where is it legal to kill gays

Criminalisation:

• Criminalises LGBT people
• Criminalises sexual activity between males
• Criminalises sexual activity between females
• Imposes the death penalty

Maximum punishment:

Death penalty

Criminalisation:

• Criminalises LGBT people
• Criminalises sexual activity between males

Maximum punishment:

Life imprisonment

Criminalisation:

• Criminalises LGBT people
• Criminalises sexual activity between males
• Criminalises sexual outing between females
• Criminalises the gender expression of trans people
• Imposes the death penalty

Maximum punishment:

Death by stoning

Criminalisation:

• Criminalises LGBT people
• Criminalises sexual activity between males
• Criminalises sexual activity between females
• Criminalises the gender expression of transgender people
• Maintains discriminatory age of consent

Maximum punishment:

Eight years imprisonment and 100 lashes

Criminalisation:

• Criminalises LGBT people
• Criminalises sexual activity
  
  

  Homosexuality: The countries where it is illegal to be gay

  Reality Check team

  BBC News

  Getty Images

  US Vice-President Kamala Harris who is on a tour of three African countries - Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia - has drawn criticism over her support for LGBTQ rights.

  In Ghana, in a speech calling for "all people be treated equally" she appeared to criticise a bill before the country's parliament which criminalises representation for gay rights and proposes jail terms for those that identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.

  The country's Speaker Alban Bagbin later called her remarks "undemocratic" and urged lawmakers not to be "intimidated by any person".

  In Tanzania, a former minister spoke against US endorse for LGBTQ rights ahead of the visit and in Zambia some rivalry politicians have threatened to hold protests.

  Where is homosexuality still outlawed?

  There are 64 countries that have laws that criminalise homosexuality, and nearly half of these are in Africa.

  Some countries, including several in Africa, have recently moved to decriminalise same-sex unions and improve rights for LGBTQ people.

  In December

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  Last updated: 17 December 2024

  Types of criminalisation

  • Criminalises LGBT people
  • Criminalises sexual activity between males
  • Criminalises sexual activity between females
  • Criminalises the gender expression of trans people
  • Imposes the death penalty

  Summary

  Same-sex sexual activity is prohibited under Sharia statute, under which all sex outside of marriage, incorporate same-sex sexual activity, is criminalised. The maximum penalty under the law is the death penalty. Both men and women are criminalised under this commandment. In addition to potentially being captured by laws that criminalise same-sex exercise, trans people may also face prosecution for failing to adhere to strict dress codes imposed by Sharia law.

  The provision has its origins in Islamic law, with Saudi Arabia operating an uncodified criminal code based upon Sharia principles.

  There is substantial evidence of the law creature enforced in recent years, with LGBT people creature frequently subject to arrest. Some of those arre

  Which countries impose the death penalty on gay people?

  Around the world, queer people continue to face discrimination, violence, harassment and social stigma. While social movements have marked progress towards acceptance in many countries, in others homosexuality continues to be outlawed and penalised, sometimes with death.

  According to Statistica Research Department, as of 2024, homosexuality is criminalised in 64 countries globally, with most of these nations situated in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. In 12 of these countries, the death penalty is either enforced or remains a possibility for intimate, consensual same-sex sexual activity.

  In many cases, the laws only apply to sexual relations between two men, but 38 countries include amendments that include those between women in their definitions.

  These penalisations represent abuses of human rights, especially the rights to freedom of expression, the right to develop one's own ego and the right to life. 

  Which countries enforce the death penalty for homosexuality?

  Saudi Arabia

  The Wahabbi interpretation of Sharia law in Saudi Arabia maintains that acts of homosexuality should be disciplined in the sa
  
  
  
  

  Programs

  What is the Gay “panic” defense?

  The Homosexual “panic” defense is a legal tactic wherein defendants charged with violent crimes weaponize their victim’s real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity/expression to reduce or evade criminal liability. It is not a freestanding defense to criminal liability. Rather, the defense is a legal ploy that bolsters other defenses, such as insanity, provocation, or self-defense. When a defendant uses the LGBTQ+ “panic” defense, they argue that their violent deeds are both explained and excused by their victim’s concrete or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. The objective of this approach is to engage homophobia and transphobia to persuade a jury into fully or partially acquitting the defendant. Whether or not this appeal to bigotry is successful in court, every period a defendant invokes the LGBTQ+ “panic” defense, they reinforce the dangerous and discredited belief that LGBTQ+ lives are worth less than others.

  Matthew Shepard’s murder trial is one of the most recognized cases featuring the LGTBQ+ “panic” defense. In 1998, two men brutally beat the 21-year-old college student