Homosexuality and bisexuality

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Laws in countries outside the U.S. & Canada
that oppress or protect LGBT persons

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Background:

LGBT is an acronym referring to lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender persons and transsexuals. Sometimes the letter "I" is added to include intersexual persons. They have traditionally been discriminated against by major world religions, including Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, etc., and to a lesser degree by Buddhism.

Laws have been passed in countries around the world that criminalize same-sex behavior even between consensual adults in private. Six predominately Muslim countries execute persons who have engaged in same-gender consensual sex.

Other laws have been passed to restrict hate speech and hate crimes in various countries against persons of all sexual orientations and gender identities.

Some commentators attempt to generate fear in the U.S. by describing hate speech laws that exist in Canada and in some European countries. They imply that if hate crime laws are passed in the U.S., that they will be used to restrict hate speech. These fears are groundless because the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees freedom of speech, including hate speech. Also, some commentators imply that hate crimes laws are created to protect lesbians, gays, and transgender persons. Actually, they protect everyone from violence motivated by hatred of the victim's sexual orientation or gender identity, whether they be heterosexual, bisexual, homosexual, cisgendered, transgender or transsexual.

Topics covered in this section are:

• Graphic showing the status of LGBT laws in countries worldwide
  
  
• Laws in India
  
  
• Uganda: Proposed genocidal law to persecute and execute LGBTs in Uganda
  
  
• Laws' origins and recent changes
  
  
• Laws restricting hate-crimes & hate speech in various countries
   

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Copyright © 2009 to 2011 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Originally posted: 2009-JUL-03
Last updated 2011-JUN-18
Author: Bruce A Robinson

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