Half of the World Doesn’t Permit LGBT+ People to Form Groups
A new report from OutRight has found that only 56 percent of countries allow LGBT+ groups to organise.
This means 85 countries, out of 194, threaten violence or arrest if LGBT+ people congregate. Of those countries, OutRight has found 55 of do have LGBT+ advocacy groups, but cannot receive state authorization for them – like Russia and Lebanon. In 30 countries, OutRight could not find any evidence of LGBT+ advocacy groups at all – in countries like Afghanistan, Malaysia, and Somalia – where LGBT+ advocacy is outright banned.
Maria Sjödin, deputy executive director of OutRight, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation why the limiting LGBT+ congregation was alarming: “This is a way of hindering and trying to stop any kind of progress or push for equality that LGBT groups want to do.
“I truly believe that change in society happens because people organize and push for it. That is how greater equality for LGBT people has been achieved.”
In countries like Singapore, LGBT+ groups can theoretically exist, but they cannot formally register. Jean Chong, co-founder of Sayoni, an LGBTQ rights organization based in Singapore, explains: “It is impossible to get an office space and you cannot ask for donations publicly as you are not a legal entity.”
Keep up to date with the latest myGnews
