How Australia compares to other countries on gay rights

YOU might think it's been a good year for the gays; rainbows, marriage and a bunch of legislation that's changing the way we view homosexuality and equal rights.

Last month, France joined the likes of New Zealand, Belgium, Spain and Canada to become the 14th country to legalise same-sex marriage.

 

In the US, Minnesota became the 12th State, and the third in two weeks, to legalise gay marriage after passing a bill 37-30 last week. It joins Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, Maine, Maryland, Washington and the District of Columbia.

 

Meanwhile, Brazil cleared the way after a judicial panel ruled that gay couples cannot be allowed licenses.

 

"This is the equivalent of authorising homosexual marriage in Brazil," said Raquel Pereira de Castro Araujo, head of the human rights committee of the Brazilian bar association.

 

Last week in Britain, a bill to legalise gay marriage passed a crucial hurdle in parliament, 366 to 161.

 

On the flip side, a string of violent demonstrations, hate crimes and bills outlawing gay rights across the globe is proof we’re not quite over the rainbow – yet.

 

This month the European Union Agency  for Fundamental Rights (FRA) released disturbing figures off the back of Europe’s largest ever survey of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.

 

The findings – compiled from more than 93,000 respondents – revealed over a quarter of LGBT people have been violently attacked or threatened in the last five years.

 

Of these incidents, 80 per cent went unreported due to a lack of faith the system would respond in a fair and equal manner.

 

"The lack of help and understanding is too much to bear," wrote one respondent.

 

"Often I wish I was simply dead."

 

Meanwhile, lawmakers in Nigeria have passed a bill banning gay marriage, outlawing anyone from forming organisations that support gay rights.

 

Violation of these terms – including gay sex – could result in a 14-year prison term.

 

In Australia, while we’re not quite there yet, Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales and ACT all allow civil unions, while couples are able to adopt in Western Australia, New South Wales and the ACT.

 

But same-sex marriage is still illegal, thanks in part to the passing of the Marriage Amendment Act in 2004, in which the government chose to update and amend the Marriage Act 1961 and insert the words "marriage means the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life."

 

Nine years on, pro-rights campaigners were left stunned after hopes for the reintroduction of Adam Bandt’s marriage equality bill, set to be voted in Parliament on June 6, were dashed this week.

 

There will be so many MPs wanting to speak on what is essentially a conscience issue there will not be time for a vote before Parliament rises on June 27, sources involved in the operation of the House said earlier this week.

 

While Kevin Rudd has declared his support for same-sex marriage, Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott continue to stick their head in the sand despite latest polls showing 62 per cent of Australians support same-sex marriage.

 

So while we celebrate LGBT’s substantial wins this year, it’s important to reflect on the many countries that still fiercely oppose homosexual activity and rights, and the homosexual men and women who continue to live their lives behind a veil of secrecy (pun intended).

 

Getting caught could quite seriously kill you.

 

But how does Australia stack up in comparison to the rest of the world?

WHERE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE IS BANNED
(and marriage is defined as between 'a man and a woman')

Australia

Poland

Bulgaria 

Romania 

Serbia

Turkey 

Ukraine

 

WHERE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE IS BANNED

South Sudan

Democratic Republic of Congo

Rwanda

Uganda

Zimbabwe

Honduras

Bolivia

Ecuador

Paraguay

Venezuela

Hungary

Belarus

Bulgaria

Montenegro 

WHERE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE IS LEGALNetherlands
Caribbean Netherlands (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, Saba)
Belgium
Spain
Canada
South Africa
Norway
Sweden
Portugal
Iceland
Argentina
Denmark
Uruguay
New Zealand
France

WHERE THE DEATH PENALTY IS ENFORCED FOR HOMOSEXUAL ACTSIran
Afghanistan
United Arab Emirates
Yemen
Saudi Arabia
Iraq
Nigeria
Sudan

WHERE A LIFE SENTENCE IS ENFORCED FOR HOMOSEXUAL ACTS

Uganda

Tanzania

Barbados

Burma