The Herald reports:
New Zealand has been rated as a world-leader when it comes to recognising the rights of the LGBT community, a step ahead of our neighbours across the ditch.
A map produced by ILGA, the international lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex association, shows how different countries are rated according to their laws regarding sexual orientation.
New Zealand is at the highest end of the scale for its recognition of same-sex unions, joint adoption and second parent adoption.
The full report is here, and an interesting read. Some extracts:
- 39% of countries (74 countries) make it a crime to have a same sex relationship
- Of those 74 countries all outlaw male homosexual relationships and 45 also outlaw female lesbian relationships
- Seven of those 74 countries are in the Pacific – Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, PNG, Samoa, Solomons, Tonga and Tuvalu
- 13 countries (6%) have the death penalty for consensual same sex relationships – Sudan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Nigeria, Somalia, Mauritania, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Qatar, UAE, Iraq, ISIL
- Only 53% of countries have the same age of consent for same sex and opposite sex relationships
- Only 38% of countries prohibit employment discrimination based on sexual orientation
- 22 countries (11%) allow for same sex marriage. A further 18 countries have civil unions or the like.
People will disagree or same sex marriage. But incredible to think 39% of countries still criminalise consensual adult relationships, and in 13 of them you can end up dead for it.