A new report from the HIV Policy Lab shows remarkable progress in decriminalization of consensual same-sex globally. As of this year, 129 out of the 194 countries tracked — two thirds of states — do not criminalize same-sex sex.
According to the report, law reform has accelerated as thirteen countries, including Barbados, Botswana, and India, have recently repealed criminalizing laws, including some of the world’s major economies and those with the highest HIV rates.
The authors show multiple models of progress through case studies of decriminalization from Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean that show how countries can remove structural barriers and promote health equity.
However, this report also documents a dangerous counter trend of rising homophobia and anti-LGBTQ laws, prosecution, and persecution in some countries. Some countries have become even more punitive, imposing long prison sentences or even the death penalty.
Read the report here
