According to an opinion widely held, homosexuality is said to be freer today than ever before. It is present and visible everywhere : in the street, in the newspapers, on television, at the movies. It is even supposedly completely accepted, judging by the recent legislative advances made in many countries for the recognition of same sex couples. Certainly, some work remains necessary in order to eradicate the last vestiges of discrimination. But with changing public opinion, it will only be, according to some people, a matter of time, the time needed for a movement begun many decades earlier to achieve its goals.

For the slightly more attentive observer, the situation is globally very different. To tell the truth, the 20th century has undoubtedly been one of the most violently homophobic periods of history: deportation to concentration camps under the Nazi regime, Soviet gulags, blackmail and persecution in the United States in the McCarthy era... Obviously, all of that can seem very distant to us now. But quite often living conditions in the world today remain very unfavorable. Homosexuality is discriminated against everywhere: in at least 80 countries, homosexual acts are forbidden by law (Algeria, Senegal, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Lebanon, Jordan, Armenia, Kuwait, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Bosnia...); in many countries, the punishment can exceed ten years in prison (Nigeria, Libya, Syria, India, Malaysia, Cuba, Jamaica...); sometimes, the law prescribes life imprisonment (Guyana, Uganda). And in seven countries, capital punishment may be actually carried out (Iran, Saudi Arabia. United Arab Emirates, Sudan, Mauritania, Northern provinces of Nigeria, Yemen). In Africa, recently, several presidents have brutally expressed their will to combat personally this "scourge" which they consider "anti-African". Even in countries where homosexuality is not considered a crime, persecutions have multiplied. In Brazil, for example, death squads and skin heads spread terror: 1,960 homophobic murders have been officially reported between 1980 and 2000. In these conditions, it is difficult to think that "tolerance" is gaining ground. On the contrary, in the majority of these nations, homophobia appears more violent today than ever before. The tendency is not, therefore, towards a general improvement, far from it.

For a comprehensive overview of legislation regarding LGBT rights in the world, please refer to ILGA’s publication on the situation of legislations around the world, published each year on the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia at www.ilga.org