How are same-sex relationships accepted globally?

It is a widely known and controversial topic as to how people of the homosexual

community are treated. Worldwide, there are over seventy-six countries where homosexuality is

outlawed and the consequences are severe. Some of the popular countries where it is outlawed

are: Russia, Iran, Nigeria, and Saudi Arabia. In these countries where being gay is banned,

offenders could even be put to death. In places where being gay is or isnt prohibited, the actions

towards these people are often justified by peoples religious beliefs as to how and how not a gay

person should be treated. Some places still keep their outdated and irrational concepts of

homosexuality very alive in the dynamics of their countries and their progression is little to none

or even reversed. However, there are many progressive, western countries where being gay is

openly accepted and sometimes even celebrated. Even still, the discrimination against those who

are openly out is at most times brutal.

One of the strictest countries to enforce laws against homosexuals is Russia. Russian law

enforcement has the right to turn anyone into the police under any speculation that the

perpetrator may or may not be gay. This means that many people could be turned into officials

even if they are not gay. This causes issues due to the fact that this law is based primarily on the

opinion of enforcement at that point and time. Since the law is so heavily based on opinion, that

also makes it very difficult for the person in question to prove his or her innocence. However,

this law in Russia does not only apply to its citizens. Tourists who are visiting Russia may also

be detained if officials are suspicious of their sexual orientation upon arrival to the country;

Russian officials also have the authority to detain tourists whom they believe to be "pro-gay".
This means that foreigners can be detained by Russian police just because the authorities think

that they support the human rights of people who prefer to be with the same sex romantically.

For those who are careful about hiding their sexual orientation, those close to them may

be at the same risk as well. In Uganda, laws there also make police officers capable of arresting

those that they feel may know about someones sexuality but are in fact keeping it secret. The

Anti-Homosexuality Act - also known as the "Kill the Gays Bill"- was proposed in 2009 and was

signed into the law on February 24, 2014; It called for life imprisonment for homosexual acts

and same-sex marriages, and made it punishable by a 5 to 7-year prison sentence to not report

gays and lesbians (Human Rights Triumph in Uganda). Even though this act does not carry

the same weight as actually being gay, not turning in a person that one knows or assumes to be

gay has severe consequences.

The act was short-lived, however. The Anti-Sexuality Act was deemed invalid on

August 1, 2014 and was therefore annulled by the Court over a lack of quorum when the bill

was passed (Human Rights Triumph in Uganda). This lack of quorum meant that this law

would no longer be in effect and that the gay people living in Uganda no longer have to worry as

much as they had to during those months where the law was strictly enforced. And although the

United Nations welcome[d] the Court's decision, hailing it as a victory for the rule of law and

social justice (Human Rights Triumph in Uganda), there is no denying that the people who

are gay in Uganda still have to live every day in fear of the harm and discrimination that is still

very much legal; they must live every day in fear due to the fact that they are not protected.

Even the most progressive of countries face numerous and strict laws. Kuwait is no

exception. With a long list of can and cants, Kuwait has been seen as the more progressive of
countries that restricts homosexuality. However, law enforcement in Kuwait still poses a big

threat, especially among discrimination and unfair/unlawful ethics.

On May 8th of 2015, Monique Coverson and Larissa Joseph were arrested by Kuwaiti

police for possession of a single ounce of a tobacco-like substance (Smith). Monique and

Larissa are a lesbian couple from the United States who were living in Kuwait at the time as

American military contractors. An analysis of the substance revealed that it was synthetic

marijuana (also known as "K2" or "spice")--a legal substance in Kuwait (Smith). Coverson and

Joseph were detained for 8 months before their trial and somehow the report of one ounce of

synthetic marijuana had turned into a pound of hashish (a substance which possession of is an

offense by Kuwaiti law).

Thousands of miles from home, Coverson and her partner are facing a 20-25 year jail

sentence in Kuwait. In a country that was once progressing, Kuwait has begun to turn back to

conservatism. Islamic culture is present in every aspect of Kuwaiti life and although a

relationship between two males is punishable by the law, there is no written law of a relationship

between females to be unlawful. Because of this, it begs to question if Monique and Larissa are

serving their sentence for an entirely different reason than what they were prosecuted for: for

being lesbian.

Religion still plays an important role in the mistreatment of homosexuals worldwide.

Most countries that outlaw the relations between two, consenting people of the same sex have

laws entirely influenced by the written laws that are established by the religion which those

countries were established upon. Countries in the Middle East where religion plays the biggest

factor in culture, are those which laws are the most predominately influenced by the religious

aspects that those countries are run by. These countries such as Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Nigeria
strictly believe in the written text of the Quran, Sunnah, and Hadith as well as the Islam law of

the Sharia all of which show distaste for homosexual acts therefore influencing their culture

directly and in turn influencing their actions and laws against gay people.

Religion in the Middle East has not only affected the culture and laws but has also

created religion-affiliated groups such as the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, now deemed terrorist

groups. These groups do not hesitate to torture or even kill homosexuals that they come across.

In the late 1990s, the Taliban in Afghanistan buried gay men alive and then toppled brick walls

on top of them (Hasan), they carried out these atrocities all in the name of Islam. Today even in

modern-day Middle East, acts such as these are not uncommon towards gay people, as these

terrorist organizations are still very real and still impose a great threat towards citizens, gay and

straight all the same. And while the motivations behind both terrorist groups are both different,

their ultimate goal is complete rule under Islamic order.

However, in places such as Japan and China, religion plays little to no part in influencing

acts against homosexuals. In fact, in ancient eighteenth and nineteenth-century, Japan and China

created multiple obscure literary and artistic references towards homosexuality, scrolls on

homosexual themes and art depicting homosexual acts; This concept was still being explored and

was not considered abominable or illegal. It is even believed that many emperors from this time

had many homosexual relations in addition to the heterosexual relationship that was seen by the

people. It wasnt until the twentieth century when ideals on homosexuality were formed and

bans were put into place.

Western countries, where multiple religions are practiced within, have had laws against

homosexuality that are less based on what religion says is or isnt right and more based on what

the leaders think is or isnt right. Western culture is constantly changing as far as beliefs and
especially towards beliefs concerning that of homosexuality. With the turn of the twenty-first

century came a generation of progression as millennials are actively fighting for the equality of,

not only homosexuals but, the rest of the LGBTQ+ community. A census on the American

population revealed that millennials (or Generation Y) are among the highest population in the

United States to identify as LGBTQ+. The fight of these people has led to law changes

regarding same-sex marriage in, not only the United States but the United Kingdom as well.

This generation has also made an influence on gay rights all around the world. China

may be next to fall in line with legalizing same-sex marriage. Following the denial for the

request for two men to get married in Beijing, Shi Fulong, the couples lawyer said, Gay

marriage was destined to become a reality in China in the not-so-distant future. (Phillips) John

Shen, a notable activist for the LGBT community in Beijing, said, regarding the case, that he was

optimistic about the future for Chinas LGBT community (Phillips, "China Court Refuses to

Allow Gay Marriage in Landmark Case"). The future for Chinas LGBT community is its

millennials, who will have the greatest influence on the progression of same-sex relationships in

China, and even same-sex marriage, in the not too distant future.

Further progression can be seen all across western civilizations as the fight for equal

rights is on-going and as leaders are constantly changing and reevaluating the systems that are

the basis for most governments. Yet, progression also carries with it resentment and wariness for

those who struggle with the idea of homosexuality. In China, homosexuality is still treated as a

disease in some places, despite its removal from Chinas list of mental illnesses in 2001.

Reversion therapy, electro-shock therapy, and lobotomy are still even practiced in some places

even though the physical and mental effects of these procedures can be fatal.
 Even as the views of homosexuality progress, there is still the fact that many people,

regardless of religious or political status, are still not open to the idea of same-sex relationships.

Day by day homophobic slurs are relentlessly tossed around with bad intentions, and hate crimes

towards homosexuals, and those of the LGBT community, have the highest growing crime rate

to date. Homophobic groups worldwide strive to deny the LGBT community their basic human

rights, and homosexuals face discrimination each and every day. Things such as getting married,

being served at a restaurant, getting clothes dry-cleaned, and even getting a job, are tasks that

make life difficult for people who are gay or LGBT as the prejudices they face are just as

common as racism and sexism.

There could be a silver-lining. The world is constantly changing and the views that

people have of homosexuality today are extremely different from the views of one-hundred years

ago, twenty years ago even. Seeing as how the future will always remain unforetold, and

homosexuality will, more than likely, always be a controversial topic, it is possible that there

may be a time when homosexuality is majorly accepted rather than majorly rejected, as it

currently stands.