These are the Most Difficult Countries to Live in as an LGBTQ+ Person
by Judy Bokao
Living as an out and proud LGBTQ+ person can be difficult, especially if you are living in a country where being your authentic self is a crime. In such countries, you cease to be a human being with any human rights and no one has your back. These are countries where there is state-sponsored violence against LGBTQ+ people and a lot of hate crimes which never get any decent investigation or justice. In these countries, being gay is basically signing your death certificate and you have to constantly live in paranoia because you are sure they are out there to get you but you just don’t know the time or venue.
Iran
Iran is one of the countries that is very hostile to LGBTQ+ people. According to Iran’s leaders, homosexuality is “modern western barbarism,” and “moral bankruptcy,” and same sex relationships are forbidden by Iran’s Islamic penal code .The Iran regime persecutes and discriminates against its LGBTQ+ citizens. Any LGBTQ+ individual who tries to live openly is in danger of being arrested, imprisoned, flogged or even executed.
Most LGBTQ+ Iranians chose to hide their sexual orientation and same-sex romantic relationships. There are no legal protections for the LGBTQ+ people and LGBTQ+ children are forced to go through brutal “conversion therapy.” Iran’s security forces harass, monitor, and arrest anyone suspected of being queer. Once charged with sodomy, one faces a trial where basic evidentiary standards are ignored. If found guilty, one is then publicly hanged, and there have even been cases where children as young as 15 years old have been hanged.
Due to the regime’s transgender policy, most gay and lesbian cisgender Iranians are pressured to undergo unwanted surgery in order to be able to enter into “heterosexual” relationships without the fear of being arrested and executed. In some cases, queer Iranians are threatened and blackmailed by people who know their secret . It doesn’t help that the Iranian Law allows fathers and grandfathers to kill their queer offsprings as an “honor killing”.
Uganda
Uganda has one of the highest rates of LGBTQ+ refugees with more than 1000 LGBTQ+ individuals escaping the country every year. The Uganda government is not lenient to the pleas of its LGBTQ+ people and went ahead to legitimize homophobic violence. It is a crime to be queer and the punishment is death.
In 2014, a Ugandan newspaper did a story on the Top 200 Homosexuals, where they outed individuals knowing very well that this could lead to their death. Since then, persecution based on sexual orientation has increased in Uganda and authorities are not doing anything to curb it. In April 2020, Ugandan police raided an LGBTQ+ shelter and arrested 23 LGBTQ+ individuals on the pretext that they had disobeyed lawful orders of social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic. LGBTQ+ members in Uganda have been flogged , arrested and even killed by Ugandan police. A little suspicion, no evidence but still one doesn’t live to see another day.
Nigeria
Nigeria is practically a cold war zone for an LGBTQ+ individual. Last year, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan signed the Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act. These are the largest restrictions of basic rights in the nation since the military dictatorship in 1999. This led to a witch-hunt where hundreds of people were rounded up by the police and the community and detained in isolation without a lawyer. According to the new law, even a simple kiss between people of the same sex can lead to 10 years in prison. Anyone — whether straight or queer — who speaks in favor of the LGBTQ+ rights risks a 10 year jail term. This draconian law has led to an unending witch-hunt and brutal persecutions and has stripped away the basic concept of a person’s freedom. A simple accusation by a so called neighbor in Nigeria can put a person in jail for more than a decade.
Russia
President Putin’s government is openly anti-gay and so it goes without saying that Russian LGBTQ+ individuals are having a hard time. The government is pursuing ways to constitutionally ban gay marriages and trying to incorporate new laws that will make it harder for LGBTQ+ people in Russia. In 2013, Putin signed a federal law that considers the “public promotion of homosexuality “ as a crime. This means that LGBTQ+ groups are not allowed to hold pride marches, and if they try they have been publicly attacked by violent thugs. The authorities are reluctant to shut down these violent groups. They have been cases whereby an anti-gay group has put up a hit list website that gives the identities of LGBTQ+ individuals in Russia and pay for their assassination. Other anti-gay groups get queer Russians and torture them to death and then post videos of these heinous acts online.
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan is currently the worst place to be gay in Europe. There have been cases of mass arrests, abuse,torture and imprisonment of LGBTQ+ individuals. Azerbaijan has homophobic, biphobic, and transphobic state policies which play a huge part in making the country a toxic and dangerous place for LGBTQ+ individuals. The political climate also marginalizes LGBTQ+ people. LGBTQ+ individual in this country are beaten, tortured with electric shocks, forced to undergo traumatic medical examinations, sexually abused and forced to reveal the locations of other LGBTQ members. As there is no investigation done to prompt arrests, it is practically impossible for an LGBTQ+ individual to get access to the justice system. Most of them are completely excluded from social, economic and political life.
The situations in this countries are bad and far from ideal but there is still hope that it can change for the better.
About the Author:
Judy Bokao is 20 years old and was born in Ethiopia but relocated to Nairobi two years ago. She is passionate about everyone having equal rights and is also big on conservation and speaking up for our planet. Judy loves reading and photography and is just a free-spirited young lady trying to grow into a woman her mom can be proud of.
