Issues the Global LGBTQ+ Community Is Still Fighting

As Pride Month ends, remember that the fight for LGBTQ+ rights globally must continue.

These victories demonstrate the effectiveness of lobbying as Global Citizens call on political decision-makers to defend the rights of LGBTQ+ persons, but there is still much to be done.

Join us in extending your support for the LGBTQ+ community past June and acknowledging the areas where more work needs to be done in order to advance equity and justice for all.

Here are six issues the global LGBTQ+ community is still fighting in their quest for equal rights.

1. The Ugandan Parliament passed the Sexual Offenses Bill, further criminalizing same-sex sexual acts.

Both in terms of its laws and the overall attitude of its government officials, Uganda has remained adamantly homophobic. Uganda receives a score of 11% on the Franklin & Marshall Global Barometer of Gay Rights, which gauges how well nations safeguard the rights of LGBTQ+ persons. This means that the country persecutes people because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Consensual same-sex relationships are prohibited in Uganda due to colonial-era laws that are still in force, but this hasn't prevented politicians from trying to make homosexuality even more of a crime. The "Kill the Gays Bill" was introduced in 2009 by a member of parliament and sought to make homosexuality a death penalty. Even if the Anti-Homosexuality Act was eventually overturned in 2014, the government officials' openly homophobic remarks contributed to a rise in violence against LGBTQ+ people in Uganda.

Today, a law that attempts to further punish homosexuality has been approved by the Ugandan Parliament once more. Human Rights Watch claims that although the Sexual Offenses Bill was introduced to protect victims of sexual assault, it actually contains provisions that criminalize consensual same-sex acts, discriminate based on HIV status, and permit the execution of offenders in some cases.

As a network of sexual minorities in Uganda, here is our collective statement regarding the recent Sexual Offences Bill passed by Parliament. If you need copies of the bill and committee report, don't hesitate to reach out. For now, the organising starts. #DareToLovepic.twitter.com/8JfCC0RHzH— Sexual Minorities Uganda | SMUG (@SMUG2004) May 5, 2021

Sexual Minorities Uganda and other LGBTQ+ advocacy groups have drawn attention to the bill's bigoted language and urged people worldwide to oppose it. Despite the fact that many human rights activists think President Yoweri Museveni won't sign the bill, they are also concerned that the level of homophobia being promoted by government officials will increase violence and discrimination against LGBTQ+ people, similar to what happened with the 2014 Anti-Homosexuality Act.

2.The US Supreme Court ruled that a Catholic organization can discriminate against LGBTQ+ people based on religious beliefs.

As the US Supreme Court's most recent session of legislation draws to a close, the court made a ruling that casts doubt on the future of LGBTQ+ rights. This month, the court decided that it is acceptable for a Catholic Church-affiliated adoption service to reject applications from same-sex couples for foster parent positions.

According to Al Jazeera, 11 US states currently permit private agencies to decline to place children with same-sex couples.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) pointed out that while this decision permits adoption services to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people on the basis of religious freedom in the US, it does not permit widespread LGBTQ+ discrimination based on religious beliefs. The US government must take action to enact legislation that protects the rights of LGBTQ+ people in order to stop prejudice based on sexual orientation or gender identity from happening.

The Equality Act, which forbids prejudice on the basis of sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation, was approved by the US House of Representatives this year. Before President Joe Biden can sign the bill into law, it now needs to clear the US Senate.

Although the Supreme Court's decision may not have a significant impact on the future of LGBTQ+ rights in the United States, it is a part of a worrying global pattern of anti-LGBTQ+ court decisions and laws. By enforcing the restriction that only married couples may adopt, the Hungarian parliament enacted a law last year prohibiting same-sex couples from adopting children. Hungary officially forbids same-sex unions.

3. Seven countries maintain the death penalty as punishment for same-sex conduct.

Even in areas where same-sex relationships are not illegal, LGBTQ+ people face violence. However, seven nations allow the death sentence to be used as a punishment for those found guilty of engaging in same-sex activity.

An interactive tracker created by Human Rights Watch enables users to discover which countries have laws that discriminate against LGBTQ+ individuals. Sexual acts committed by people of the same sex, as well as some forms of gender expression, such as dressing in accordance with one's gender identity rather than the one assigned to them at birth, can be punished by stoning, prison sentences, fines, whipping, and flogging. Legal punishment can be interpreted by the judge issuing sentencing.

Currently, the death sentence is still used in Brunei, Iran, Mauritania, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Yemen.

4. Hungary passed a law banning LGBTQ+ content in schools.

More nations are pursuing legal paths to criminalize the promotion of LGBTQ+ rights. In Ghana, members of parliament introduced legislation to criminalize LGBTQ+ advocacy after international support for LGBTQ+ rights poured in when violence and harassment forced the country’s first LGBTQ+ community center to close.

In the United States, the governor of Tennessee recently signed a law mandating that educators receive consent from parents to teach curriculum concerning sexual orientation or gender identity, putting young people at risk of missing out on important milestones in LGBTQ+ history and sexual health knowledge.


As part of this trend, Hungary’s parliament passed a law banning LGBTQ+ people from being featured in school educational materials or TV shows for minors, as part of a broader campaign against LGBTQ+ rights in Hungary.

International human rights groups, such as Amnesty International, say that the law will further stigmatize LGBTQ+ people in Hungary and lead to greater instances of discrimination.

5. Violence against LGBTQ+ people in Brazil is surging.

Over 500,000 people in Brazil have died as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with Indigenous and low-income communities being the hardest affected. Along with the public health emergency, violence against LGBTQ+ people has increased in reaction to a homophobic culture that has been supported in part by President Jair Bolsonaro.

Before being voted president in 2018, Bolsonaro had long expressed his homophobic opinions. Bolsonaro has used slurs against LGBTQ+ people, said he would be "incapable of loving a homosexual son," and attacked the Brazilian Supreme Court for making homophobia a crime.

The violent attack on an out homosexual man earlier this month in Florianópolis has drawn attention to the conflict between the advocacy of LGBTQ+ rights and anti-queer prejudice. Although it legalized marriage equality in 2013, Brazil has one of the highest rates of violence against LGBTQ+ persons worldwide despite having a thriving LGBTQ+ community.

According to lawyer and head of the gender law commission Margareth Hernandes, "Brazil is the world champion of LGBT murders," she told the Guardian. In our very traditional nation, there is still a lot of bias. Hate speech ultimately encourages murder.

6. LGBTQ+ people remain vulnerable to COVID-19 around the world.

Although LGBTQ+ rights vary widely by nation, the COVID-19 pandemic poses perhaps the most common challenge for LGBTQ+ people worldwide. Last year, a study released by the global LGBTQ+ advocacy group OutRight Action International found that LGBTQ+ people face compounded issues of violence, exclusion, and poverty during the pandemic.

When there is a crisis, "vulnerable groups become even more vulnerable, and for LGBTIQ people, this is amplified even more so exponentially," said Daina Rudua, senior communications manager at Outright, to Global Citizen last year. "Because non-intersectional relief attempts do not include us and we are cut off from vital lifelines like community networks in addition to the fact that we are more vulnerable on a daily basis."

In addition to the danger of the coronavirus, LGBTQ+ people experienced higher rates of employment instability and food insecurity because of discrimination. In addition, they were unable to access government or humanitarian aid fairly due to discrimination and their dread of being judged for their gender identity or sexual orientation.

Despite the fact that COVID-19 vaccines are being produced in large quantities and extensively distributed, vulnerable populations in many nations have not yet received even a single dose of the vaccine. LGBTQ+ individuals worldwide continue to be at risk from COVID-19 until the pandemic is eradicated for everyone, everywhere.

As June draws to a close, it is critical to keep in mind that Pride Month is a movement to acknowledge the humanity of queer people and fight for their rights everywhere, not just for parades, parties, and rainbow-themed deals provided by businesses.

Because of violence, prejudice, and harassment, thousands of LGBTQ+ people around the globe are unable to celebrate Pride, especially in one of the 69 nations that still criminalize homosexuality. Global Citizens can ensure that the struggle for equality doesn't end until everyone can enjoy equity and justice everywhere by supporting the LGBTQ+ community throughout the year.