LGBT Rights by Country 2022

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender are collectively LGBT. Topics related to sexual and gender identity are referred to by the acronym LGBT or LGBTQ+ (a frequent version).

Queer people, as well as those who identify as intersex or intersex, are not the only ones who fall within the umbrella of the term non-heterosexual and non-cisgender. LGBTQ, LGBTQ+, LGBTQIA, and LGBTQIA+ are all forms of the LGBT umbrella term.

Differentiation in the varieties does not necessarily reflect political differences in the community but rather individual and group choices. ‘LGBT individuals face inequality, prejudice, and violence all around the globe.

As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, one’s legal rights differ widely from nation to country. As far as death penalty reform and same-sex marriage legalization are concerned, LGBTQ+ rights are comprehensive.

LGBTQ+ Rights in the United States

Concerning LGBTQ+ issues, the United States has achieved significant progress in recent years. LGBTQ+ rights have been established in the United States Supreme Court, yet discrimination persists in the workplace and the housing and service industries.

The United States does not have a federal statute prohibiting discrimination. The Equality Act would amend existing civil rights legislation so that sexual orientation and gender identity would be expressly stated as protected characteristics.

Including this phrase, the Act would give specific non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ individuals in all life sectors, from housing to public venues to federally sponsored programs.

Since its founding in 1936, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has been a leading voice for equality for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities.

Equal rights for homosexual couples to marry and have children to adopt are two of the most significant wins for the LGBTQ+ community in America. A 2004 court decision in one state paved the way for the legalization of gay marriage in all fifty states by 2015, as did state legislation and public ballots.

Following a decision by the Supreme Court in 2016, all states were free to allow same-sex adoptions. While progress has been made, the United States still has a long way to go regarding equality for LGBTQ+ individuals.

LGQBTQ+ The World’s Rights

The rights of people who identify as LGBTQ+ vary drastically from country to country. While homosexuality is prohibited in certain nations and “nontraditional sexual interactions” are criminal in others, the two are not mutually exclusive.

The death sentence may be given to homosexuals in a few nations. Human trafficking is punishable by death in the following countries: Saudi Arabia, Yemen; Somalia; Nigeria; Sudan; and Sudan.

It is illegal to serve in the military if you identify as transgender in all but 19 nations. These are the countries where transgender people are allowed to serve openly in the armed forces. Only administrative roles in Thai organizations are open to transgender people.

Only three countries have made conversion therapy illegal nationally: Ecuador, Brazil, and Malta. However, conversion treatment is not illegal in the United States as a whole, in states such as Hawaii and California. Oregon. Washington. Nevada. Utah. Colorado. New Mexico. Illinois. Virginia. Maryland. New Jersey. New York.

Only 5% of UN member nations have made it a constitutional requirement to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation. Ecuador, Mexico, Portugal, Bolivia, South Africa, Sweden, and Nepal are among the countries in this group.

Most nations in Europe and South America, as well as a few others, have taken action to combat employment discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Aside from North and South America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, same-sex couples are often barred from adopting internationally.

In 2001, the Netherlands became the first nation to legalize same-sex marriage; Ecuador followed suit in 2012. Most countries in Eastern Europe, Africa, and Asia forbid same-sex marriage.

Only 13 percent of UN member states allow same-sex marriage, and only a few countries, such as Peru, Greece, and Italy, allow civil unions.

Safest Countries for LGBTQ+ People

The ten nations listed below are the safest and finest places in the world for LGBTQ+ individuals, according to the LGBTQ+ Danger Index. According to the index, each nation is ranked based on its protection of LGBT persons.

Sweden is the world’s most welcoming nation to gays and lesbians. Worker protections for gender identity and sexual orientation have been legislated by Sweden’s government and constitutional protections against discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals.

Sweden also permits adoptions by same-sex couples. Canada is ranked second in the world as the most welcoming country for LGBTQ+ people.

In contrast to Sweden, Canada solely protects employees for their sexual orientation, not their gender identity. On July 20, 2005, Canada became the first non-European nation and the fourth in the world to allow homosexual marriage.

Aside from the constitutional rights against discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals in adoption, same-sex couples are allowed to adopt.

Norway is the third most welcoming country for LGBTQ+ people. Legal homosexual marriage in Norway and rights for those who identify as gay or transgender in the workplace.

Instead of constitutional rights, Norway has comprehensive prohibitions against discrimination against the LGBTQ+ population and has criminalized hate crimes against the group. Norway, like Sweden and Canada, permits same-sex couples to adopt jointly and as second parents.

The country of Portugal is ranked fourth. Legalizing homosexual marriage was made official in Portugal via a referendum on May 17, 2010.

In 2016, couples of the same sex were allowed to adopt. Additionally, the Portuguese military accepts homosexual, lesbian, and bisexual recruits. Employee protections that include sexual orientation and gender identity are also available to the LGBTQ+.

Belgium is ranked sixth on the list. After the Netherlands, Belgium became the second nation in the world to allow homosexual marriage. LGBT persons are not barred from military service, and same-sex couples enjoy equal adoption rights.

There are extensive anti-discrimination measures in Belgium for those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (LGBT+). The sixth most LGBTQ+-friendly nation worldwide is the United Kingdom.

On March 29, 2014, the United Kingdom made it lawful to marry someone of the same sex. In England and Wales, same-sex couples were allowed to adopt in 2005, and in Scotland in 2009.

Discrimination against persons because of their sexual orientation has been outlawed since 2010, a decade after LGBT service members were granted open service in the military.

The British military treats same-sex couples the same way as opposite-sex couples regarding housing and other benefits.

This ranking ranks Finland as the world’s seventh-most LGBTQ+ friendly nation. Since March 1, 2017, marrying or adopting within one’s sexual orientation has been lawful. In addition to extensive anti-discrimination provisions, workers in Finland are afforded protection based on their sexual orientation and gender identity.

On May 18, 2013, France became the thirteenth nation to allow homosexual marriages. Since the same-sex marriage statute went into force, couples of the same sexes have now been entitled to adopt.

Employees in France have the right to publicly express their sexual orientation and gender identity without fear of retaliation or discrimination. The National Assembly passed an anti-discrimination legislation amendment prohibiting homophobic remarks in 2004.

For LGBTQ+ friendliness, Iceland is ranked ninth. In 2010, Icelanders voted unanimously to define marriage as a union of two people of the same sexes. Equal access to adoption and IVF (in vitro fertilization) has been granted to same-sex couples since 2006.

Sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and sex traits are protected under Iceland’s new anti-discrimination legislation. Spain ranks 10 among the world’s most welcoming nations for LGBTQ+ people.

In 2005, Spain became the first country in the world to allow same-sex marriage and adoption. Some autonomous communities in Spain have prohibited discrimination based on both sexual orientation and gender identity in Spain’s workforce.

The Spanish Armed Forces also allow openly gay, homosexual, bisexual, and transgender personnel to serve.

Also See: Incarceration Rates by Country 2022

The following are the 10 countries with the poorest records on LGBT rights:

1. Nigeria
2. Qatar
3. Yemen
4. Saudi Arabia
5. Tanzania
6. Iran
7. Sudan
8. Barbados
9. Malaysia
10. Malawi

These countries do not have any safeguards for LGBTQ+ people. People who are gay in these nations face imprisonment, stoning, and even death sentence due to their homosexuality.