This Book is Gay (10 page)

We didn't choose where we were born. We just popped out where our mother happened to be nine months after we were conceived. Similarly, we didn't choose to be gay or bi – our same-sex attraction has been there for as long as we can remember. Likewise, trans people, more often than not, have always felt they weren't in the correct body or at least felt an unease with gender norms.

In an ideal world, it wouldn't matter where you were born OR what your sexual orientation is, but this total lottery is having a severe impact on people all over the world. The UK may have wised up over the past fifty years, but other countries are comparatively in the dark ages concerning LGBT* rights.

All aboard for what I call the TOUR OF SHAME – countries and territories where human rights are more like human wrongs (see what I did there?).

These tables are accurate as of winter 2013. With any luck, the lists will shrink all the time until there's no need for this roll call of shame.

Countries DO change their stance; for example Mozambique recently decriminalised same-sex activity … Woo hoo! Pop and Party Rings for everyone. However, in December 2013, India went BACKWARDS and RE-criminalised same-sex activity. NO PARTY SNACKS FOR YOU, PARTY POOPERS.

However – and it's a big however – just because any remaining countries have legalised same-sex behaviour doesn't mean that it's EASY to get your funky sex dance on without repercussions. In many places, Indonesia being a good example, it is legal to have same-sex sex, but people would face great hardship if they were ‘out'.

Furthermore, the vast majority of ‘legal' countries still have all kinds of hideously homophobic legislation in place – no same-sex marriage or civil partnership, no adoption laws … many fail to provide even the most basic protection beyond, ‘It's legal, what more do you want?' Clearly, this isn't good enough, and campaigners still have a long way to go.

It's easy to think of gay-illegal places as being far, far away. Too far away to worry about. Well, how about Russia, where LGBT* groups are being persecuted despite their legal status? What about Greece, where gay men and female prostitutes are facing mandatory HIV testing against their will? These are our neighbours. Scary, scary stuff.

‘Bryan', 21, lives in Singapore.

The situation in Singapore is very strange. Even though gay people are becoming more and more visible, we have no legal rights. We have Pink Dot SG, which is a bit like Pride and we have ‘Arts Venues' which are places for gay people to meet up. I have never known anybody to be arrested but it is illegal for two men to have sex. I personally don't understand it. Singapore is a beautiful and tolerant place, so it's hard to understand why we don't have laws to protect us.

The following table names countries with laws and rules protecting transgender people:

The situation for trans people is hugely unclear around the world – most countries have no clear laws covering the issue, which roughly translates as no protection for trans people. The above countries all have laws protecting you. However, as with LGB rights, many countries on the list might SEEM accepting but in reality things may be quite different. For instance many of the countries in the above box insist on sterilization before a new gender identity is granted. Be fair, I did warn you this section wasn't exactly a barrel of laughs.

Personally, I don't think it's enough to be cross about the treatment of LGBT* people across the world. We have to do our little bit, right? For one thing, in the box of gay-illegal countries, I've emboldened places which are popular holiday destinations.

• STEP ONE – DON'T GO THERE: Seriously, hit countries where it hurts – tourist dollars. For one thing, you won't be able to pull while you're there, and for another (and more seriously), what if you had to rely on the police or hospitals in a place where you aren't legally recognised as having equal rights?
  

I think that a lot of LGBT* people think that because somewhere is tourist friendly, it's gay friendly. This simply isn't the case. Instead of Jamaica or Barbados, go to Grand Cayman. See? Easy. Do your homework.

• STEP TWO – SUPPORT CHARITY: We can help the fight by supporting groups doing the fighting for us.
  

Amnesty International:
Challenges governments and authorities to fulfil their responsibility to protect LGBT* people from such abuses. The organisation campaigns to protect human rights defenders who put themselves at risk by speaking out against abuses based on sexuality or gender identity.

The Kaleidoscope Trust:
Urges the British government, the Commonwealth, the European Union and others to use their power and influence to support the rights of LGBT* people. The trust works with parliamentarians, government ministers, officials and policy makers to try to effect real change in the lives of LGBT* communities around the world.

ILGA:
ILGA's aim is to work for the equality of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people and their liberation from all forms of discrimination. The group seeks to achieve this aim through the worldwide cooperation and mutual support of their members.

Stonewall:
Stonewall is renowned for its campaigning and lobbying. Some major successes include helping achieve the equalisation of the age of consent, lifting the ban on lesbians and gay men serving in the military, securing legislation allowing same-sex couples to adopt, and the repeal of Section 28, (which prevented same-sex education in schools). More recently, Stonewall has helped secure civil partnerships and ensured that the Equality Act (2010) protected lesbians and gay men in terms of goods and services (for example, hotels can't refuse you and your partner a room because you're a same sex couple).

All four of these groups rely on donations. This means you need to jolly well stick your hand in your pocket and donate whatever you can. Some charities are listed in the ‘Helpful numbers and websites and stuff' section at the back of this book.

You know when we said it's not very nice when people say that ALL gay men are like this or ALL lesbians are like that? WELL, it's similarly shoddy to claim that ALL Christians think like this or ALL Muslims think like that. Before we get into a discussion about what each of the main religions thinks about homosexuality, it's important to state that all people of faith are individuals, more than capable of forming their own opinions away from scripture.

To be honest, most people of faith probably don't give a flying fig about who you're snogging – they're probably worrying about their gas bill or whether they left their hair straighteners on.

However, although most religious people are somewhat progressive, there are individuals and regimes that insist on clinging to multi-thousand-year-old bits of paper in the name of hate. If you look back at the list of gay-illegal countries, they do tend to be the ones where the legal system is tied to a religious regime – not naming names but, like, you know, Saudi Arabia.

Before I tear some old religious stuff to shreds,
I have faith that the vast, vast majority of religious people use (whichever) God's teaching to find tolerance and love for all mankind. And also womankind
(yeah, some religions are mega sexist too).