31 Places Where Showing LGBTQ+ Pride Is Illegal

While conservatives, Republicans, and far-right extremists are targeting LGBTQ+ communities with erasure and legislation to strip them of their rights in the United States, it remains illegal in many countries across the globe to simply have a consensual relationship with someone of the same sex.

Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2023 is regarded as one of the most harsh laws against homosexuality in the world. It carries a life sentence for “same-sex sexual acts” and the death penalty for gay sex in certain circumstances, including someone living with HIV or another illness or having sex with a person with disabilities or a minor. A mere days before Pride Month began, the law was signed, emphasizing the significance of this year’s worldwide celebration.

Despite its international condemnation and reinvigoration by conservatives in the United States, the Ugandan law is not an outlier. LBGTQ+ communities continue to face a great deal of criminalization throughout the world.

Being LGBTQ+ can lead to whippings or other punishments that seem outdated around the world. Even though homosexuality has been legal in Russia since 1983, there are still fines for not following “traditional values,” USA Todayreports.

Globally, LGBTQ+ people are being threatened in 64 countries.

Twenty Asian and Middle Eastern countries and 32 African nations prohibit homosexuality. Across South America, seven countries prohibit homosexual activities, while in Oceania, six countries do. Besides North America, the only continent where homosexuality is legal everywhere is Europe. However, Poland, Hungary, and several other countries in Europe have targeted LGBTQ+ rights in recent years. LGBTQ+ advocates in the U.S. have had to continue to condemn the implication that LGBTQ+ people groom others or are pedophiles thanks to a push by far-right, anti-LGBTQ+ politicians and influencers.

According to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA), 64 nations still criminalize “same-sex acts,” the term human rights organizations use to track.

Namibia

Pakistan

South Sudan

Tanzania

Tunisia

Afghanistan

Burundi

Egypt

Ethiopia

Guyana

Kenya

Malawi

Mauritius

Myanmar

Uganda