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■ More than two-thirds of African countries have laws against homos*xual acts. In 2008, Yahya Jammeh, president of the Gambia, threatened to "cut off the head" of any homos*xual found in his country. He also pledged "stricter laws than Iran" on homos*xuality. In Iran, the penalty for gay s*x is death.
■ Gay people in Senegal, where homos*xual s*x is illegal, have reportedly been tortured in prison. Last year a judge in Malawi sentenced a gay couple to 14 years in prison: the country's president pardoned them after international condemnation.
■ Conservative American evangelical church groups have been blamed for intensifying prejudice against gay people in African countries. A month before the anti-homos*xuality bill was introduced in Uganda, preachers from the United States visited the country and staged a conference where they accused homos*xuals of destroying African culture.
■ Uprisings in northern Africa and the Middle East have not – so far – quelled deep-seated homophobia in the region.
■ While homos*xuality is largely legal in South and Central America, gay people are at risk of violence and prejudice. Following the 2009 coup in Honduras more than 30 gay and transgender people were murdered. Dadeus Grings, archbishop of one of the largest dioceses in Brazil, said last year that the acceptance of homos*xuality in society could pave the way for the acceptance of paedophilia.
■ Jamaica has been described as the most homophobic place on earth. Prominent gay-rights activists have been murdered, and the reggae star Buju Banton appeared in court accused of assaulting a gay man. The case was dismissed due to lack of evidence.
■ In 2004, an official at the ministry of culture in Thailand proposed the removal of homos*xuals from media and government posts. Lady Gaga's gay anthem "Born This Way" has been censored in Malaysia, where homos*xual acts are illegal.
■ In February this year, Silvio Berlusconi, the prime minister of Italy, said: "As long as we are in power, traditional marriage and gay unions will never be on the same level." In 2009, the Lithuanian parliament was condemned for proposing measures that would ban talking about homos*xuality in schools.
■ An iPhone app developed by Exodus International promoting "conversion therapy" to "cure" homos*xuality prompted nearly 150,000 complaints to Apple. Apple had given the app a 4+ approval rating, indicating it contained "no objectionable content". The company removed the app from its iTunes store without comment. Nick Mack
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gay-rights
