Where Is Lgbtq Marriage Illegal?

In 2001, the Netherlands became the first country to legalize gay marriage, but there are still 64 countries with laws criminalizing homosexuality, with nearly half of these in Africa. Some countries, including several in Africa, have recently moved to allowing same-sex marriage. The death penalty is imposed across the country in Brunei, Iran, Mauritania, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. In some northern states of Nigeria, Mauritania, Somalia, and Sudan have the death penalty for same-sex relations.

Latin America has made significant progress on marriage equality, with Argentina becoming the first country in the region to approve same-sex marriage in 2010. However, support for marriage equality in the United States remains low, with 52% backing laws to legalize gay marriage in 50 states. LGBT rights are widely diverse in Europe per country, with 21 of the 36 countries that have legalized same-sex marriage worldwide situated in Europe. A further 11 European countries have legalized civil unions or other forms of more limited protection.

The Early Gay Rights Movement, founded by Henry Gerber in 1924, is recognized in most developed democracies, but not in any Islamic polities. Some countries, such as China and Russia, restrict advocacy for same-sex marriage. The Constitutional Court of Slovenia ruled that the ban on same-sex marriages violated its constitution, but the gay community remains illegal.

Homosexuality remains criminalized in one-third of countries worldwide, with laws criminalizing being gay remaining a reality for one-third of countries worldwide. Countries with similar laws on “women-only” spaces have not made significant progress.