ILGA_State_Sponsored_Homophobia_2012

LGBTI rights global overview
The year in brackets refers to the year when the reform came into force.
If no year is stated, either there has never been any regulation in the relevant area or no information
could be found about the year the law took effect.
Homosexual acts legal (113 countries)
Africa Burkina Faso, Cape Verde (2004), 3 Central African Republic, Congo, Chad, Côte
d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, 4 Equatorial Guinea, 5 Gabon,
Guinea-Bissau (1993), 6 Madagascar, Mali, Niger, 7 Rwanda, 8 South Africa (1998)
Asia Bahrain (1976) 9 , Cambodia, China (1997), 10 East Timor (1975), most parts of
Indonesia, Israel (1988), Japan (1882), Jordan (1951), Kazakhstan (1998), Kyrgyzstan
(1998), Laos, Mongolia, 11 Nepal (2008), 12 North Korea, Philippines, South Korea,
Taiwan (1896), Tajikistan (1998), Thailand (1957), Vietnam, as well as the West Bank
(1951) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
Europe Albania (1995), Andorra (1990), Armenia (2003), Austria (1971), Azerbaijan (2000),
Belarus (1994), Belgium (1795), Bosnia and Herzegovina (1998-2001), 13 Bulgaria
(1968), Croatia (1977), Cyprus (1998), Czech Republic (1962), Denmark (1933),
Estonia (1992), Finland (1971), France (1791), Georgia (2000), Germany (1968-69), 14
Greece (1951), Hungary (1962), Iceland (1940), Ireland (1993), Italy (1890), Kosovo
(1994) 15 , Latvia (1992), Liechtenstein (1989), Lithuania (1993), Luxembourg (1795),
Macedonia (1996), Malta (1973), Moldova (1995), Monaco (1793), Montenegro
3 The 2004 Penal Code does not criminalise homosexual acts. Until it came into force, article 71 of the previous code
of 1886 provided for ‘security measures’ for people who habitually practice ’vice against the nature’. Text of the new
Penal Code is available at:
www.mj.gov.cv/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=38&&Itemid=66..
4 See Djibouti Penal Code of 1995, available at: http://www.djibouti.mid.ru/doc/UK.htm.
5 However, according to Amnesty International’s 2006 report ” Sexual Minorities and the Law: A World Survey”,
homosexual acts are still illegal in Equatorial Guinea. Text available at:
http://www.asylumlaw.org/docs/sexualminorities/World%20SurveyAIhomosexuality.pdf.
6 According to Waaldijk (2011), articles 133-138 on sexual offences in the new Penal Code of 1993 do not seem to
criminalise homosexual acts more than heterosexual acts (Text of the law is available at:
www.rjcplp.org/RJCPLP/sections/informacao/legislacao-nacional/anexos/gb-codigopenal/downloadFile/file/GuineBissau.CodigoPenal.pdf).
7 The 1961 Penal Code with admendments up to 2003 is available at:
http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/47fb8e642.html.
8 See the Rwanda Penal Code of 1980 available at:
http://www.amategeko.net/display_rubrique.php?ActDo=ShowArt&Information_ID=947&Parent_ID=3070640&type=p
ublic&Langue_ID=Fr&rubID=30691315.
9 A new Penal Code was enacted in 1976 and this repealed the old Penal Code of the Persian Gulf imposed
by the British. Contrary to the second-hand source used in previous editions of the report, the Penal Code allows
sodomy from the age of 21, and therefore sodomy was decriminalised as of adoption of the new code.
10 Homosexual acts are also legal in all Chinese associates; Hong Kong (1991) and Macau (1996).
11 See Article 125 of the Criminal Code of Mongolia of 2002, available at:
http://www.lexadin.nl/wlg/legis/nofr/oeur/lxwemon.htm.
12 The Supreme Court of Nepal ruled in 2008 that LGBTI people would be regarded as “natural persons” under law.
While legislation to this effect was anticipated in 2010, there has been no legislation adopted as yet. See
http://www.gaylawnet.com/laws/np.htm.
13 The three parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina decriminalised homosexuality in three different years, each by enacting
a new Criminal Code that introduced an equal age of consent: Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1998),
Republika Srpska (2000), Brcko District (2001); see www.ohr.int/ohr-dept/legal/crim-codes/.
14 East Germany (1968) and West Germany (1969).
15 Kosovo is not a member state of the United Nations
State-Sponsored Homophobia – May 2012
ILGA – The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association - www.ilga.org
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