Dear friends
The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) is currently producing the 11th edition of our annual publication State-sponsored Homophobia: A World Survey of Laws: criminalisation, protection and recognition of same-sex love.
As many of you know, State-sponsored Homophobia just deals with sexual orientation legal issues (actual and advocacy) and not with the wide variety and proliferation of developments related to trans or intersex (unless related to sexual orientation), which are themselves worthy of a separate publication.
As author of this year's edition, I would like to invite you to send in any clarifications, amendments or additions you may have on specific countries, or indeed suggestions of what you would like to see. Please send sources supporting your comments. The cut-off date for me to take in your comments, etc needs to be 2 March 2016. Again, please keep in mind this is sexual orientation-related only.
We would very much like to hear from all States on all continents.
On our maps we will be marking if National Human rights Institutions (NHRIs) are responsive to SO issues, if you have comment on whether existing legal provisions are actually being applied, and finally if you can update us on other legal mechanisms that police or the State employ to curb sexual orientation advocacy or activity (loitering laws, etc).
For the global overview section (from which our maps are derived), the following headings are being added:
NEW areas
- Other non-discrimination legislative provisions that enumerate sexual orientation (as listed below we already do Employment and Constitutional provision)
- Refugee and asylum laws inclusive (enumerating) of sexual orientation
- Second parent adoption
- Availability of reproductive technologies to same-sex couples
EXISTING areas
- Same-sex sexual acts legal
- Same-sex sexual acts illegal
- Same-sex sexual acts punishable with death penalty
- Equal age of consent for same and different sex sexual acts
- Unequal age of consent for same and different sex sexual acts
- “Propaganda” laws
- Prohibition of discrimination in employment based on sexual orientation
- Constitutional prohibition of discrimination based on sexual orientation
- Hate crimes based on sexual orientation considered an aggravating circumstance
- Incitement to hatred based on sexuaL orientation prohibited
- Marriage open for same-sex couples
- Same-sex couples offered all or most rights attached to marriage, but not marriage itself (civil partnerships, registered partnerships, civil unions, etc.)
- Some recognition of same-sex relationships in law, without most rights attached to marriage
- Joint adoption by same-sex couples
Please get in contact with me directly at aenguscarroll[AT]gmail[DOT]com.
With many thanks
Aengus Carroll
author of ILGA's 2016 State-sponsored Homophobia