The movement of LGBTQ+ rights within many countries is a racing train with no end in sight. From the first gay rights organization in 1924 to most recently, more western countries, such as Australia, Malta, and Germany legalizing same-sex marriage in 2017, [1] the efforts of the LGBTQ+ movement and its allies are beginning to bear fruit. With that being said, the strides that many countries have made to treat the LGBTQ+ community as human beings does not and should not overshadow the oppression that occurs within other countries, especially within the Middle East and Asia. With every step towards LGBTQ+ rights domestically, we must remember to also look elsewhere and recognize that this issue is a humanitarian crisis in many countries.

Although it is recognized how many countries such as Russia, Iran, and Saudi Arabia don’t have the best policies on homosexuality, not many people are well informed on the extent of the human rights violations committed. For example, Saudi Arabia has sentenced people convicted of homosexuality and “sodomy” to a range of penalties including corporal punishment and even the death penalty. While Uganda proposed a bill which deals a 3-year sentence for anyone failing to report homosexuals, a life sentence for anyone participating in “homosexual activity”, and the death sentence for “aggravated homosexuality.”

Globally, there are still more than 80 countries with sodomy laws, and punishment can include flogging, imprisonment, and in about a dozen countries, the death penalty. Those suspected of being LGBTQ+ are also routinely the victims of harassment, discrimination and violence. Many of those who speak up for LGBTQ+ rights, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, are themselves persecuted with impunity. [2] Despite the strides in LGBTQ+ rights we see in the media, we must also remember to acknowledge the human rights violations committed in “less” accepting countries.