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LGBT rights vary globally, with some countries recognizing and enforcing them while others do not. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch advocate for the protection of LGBT rights, which are often violated. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights does not specifically address sexual orientation or gender identity, but advocacy groups are working to change that. In the United States, same-sex sex has been decriminalized and same-sex marriages are legal in some states. Europe has similar laws to the US, while the Caribbean and South America have varying approaches to LGBT rights.
LGBT rights are the civil and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people around the world. These rights are recognized and enforced to varying degrees depending on the country or state jurisdiction within a country such as the United States. In many countries there are social movements calling for their recognition or fuller and more equitable implementation.
Amnesty International is one of many organizations that believe that all people have the right to enjoy the full range of human rights without exception. The group notes that LGBT people are more likely to experience ill-treatment in the form of violence, discrimination, imprisonment, torture or execution, in violation of international rights law. These views are echoed by Human Rights Watch.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights does not specifically address sexual orientation or gender identity. LGBT advocacy groups are working to change that. Evolving interpretations of international rights law are beginning to consider and include the protection of the civil and human rights of LGBT people.
In the United States, same-sex sex has been decriminalized by a Supreme Court decision. Same-sex marriages, a major LGBT rights issue, are legal in five states. Some other states do not allow same-sex marriage but do recognize a legally performed same-sex marriage in another state. Instead of same-sex marriage, some states offer “civil unions” instead, which provide some of the legal protections of a marriage.
Approximately 20 US states prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. Of these states, a dozen also outlaw discrimination based on gender identity. Hate crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity are prohibited by federal law. These provisions were added to the federal hate crimes law after the fatal beating of a gay man in the state of Wyoming.
Same-sex marriages have been legal across Canada since 2005. All states in Mexico are required to recognize same-sex marriages but not perform them. In South America, same-gender sexual activity is legal except for Guyana, where sexual activity between women is legal but sex between men is not and is punishable by life imprisonment. Same-sex marriage is legal in Argentina, but illegal or prohibited by constitutional amendment in other countries.
Caribbean countries have different approaches to LGBT rights. Same-sex sexual relations are illegal in Barbados and Antigua and are punishable by long prison sentences. In Grenada, Jamaica and Saint Lucia, sex between women is legal but not between men. Only a handful of countries address hate crimes based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
In some ways, the state of LGBT rights in Europe looks similar to that in the United States. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in most of Europe. Some countries prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Gender changes are legally recognized in about a dozen countries.
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