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Everything about Homosexuality Laws Of The World totally explained

The countries of the world have a wide variety of laws relating to sexual relations between people of the same sex - everything from full same-sex marriage to the death penalty as punishment for homosexual conduct.
   In addition to laws against the practice of homosexuality, many countries around the world consider calling a person homosexual sufficient grounds for a libel lawsuit.

History of homosexuality laws

The first recorded laws supposedly against sexual intercourse between men are dated by scholars to circa 550 BC, during the Babylonian captivity of the Jewish people; they're recorded in Leviticus (though conservative scholars date Leviticus to be much older), and they prescribe the death penalty. At the time same-sex relations were incorporated into many pagan religions. Some people believe that this is the ultimate origin of punitive laws targeting homosexual relations. This pattern continued throughout history with punitive laws arising from traditional interpretations of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. With the advent of colonialism this attitude spread along with political control by the imperial powers of the nations with Abrahamic state religion; however, the fact that homosexuals were legally persecuted in communist China (a country which neither adopted an Abrahamic religion nor was colonized) and that homosexuality in the People's Republic wasn't decriminalized until 1997 calls the universal application of this theory into at least some question. Often an Abrahamic religion is the primary factor when accounting for a law against homosexuality and the major supporter.

Homosexuality laws

This is a list of laws around the world concerning homosexuality, and is arranged alphabetically by region. It should be noted that the list shouldn't be assumed to represent a standard for measuring a nation's views, per se. Nations which have retained negative laws may, in practice, be less oppressive than the laws suggest, as the laws are not enforced. Similarly, a country which lacks laws against homosexual behaviour may possess a culture which is openly hostile and thus persecutes individuals by other means. No country has criminalised solely female-female sex; nations either criminalise all forms of homosexual behaviour or just male homosexuality. Homosexual behaviour remains illegal in about 70 countries, including some which even ban heterosexual sodomy. (Note: the understanding of sodomy can include anal sex, oral sex, fornication (for example sex outside of marriage) or even any sexual behaviour that doesn't lead to procreation within marriage. In tables below the age of consent for same sex relationships is the same as for heterosexuals, unless it's otherwise noted. Country names marked "(☆)" feature special "LGBT rights" articles about the country in question.

Africa
Country aws against homosexuality enalty ame-sex Unions aws against discrimination doption omments
☆Algeria Yes Fine - 3 years - No No See LGBT rights in Algeria.
☆Angola Yes Labour camps - No No Page 6 of (External Link) and LGBT rights in Angola.
Benin Yes 3 years - No No  
Botswana Yes Fine - years - No No  
☆Burkina Faso No - - No No See LGBT rights in Burkina Faso.
Burundi No - - No No  
☆Cameroon Yes Fine - 5 years - No No See LGBT rights in Cameroon.
☆Cape Verde No - - No No See LGBT rights in Cape Verde.
☆Central African Republic No - - No No See LGBT rights in the Central African Republic.
☆Chad No - - No No See LGBT rights in Chad.
☆Comoros Yes Fine - 5 years - No No See LGBT rights in Comoros.
☆Republic of the Congo No - - No No See LGBT rights in the Republic of the Congo.
☆Democratic Republic of the Congo No - No No No See LGBT rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Côte d'Ivoire No - - No No -
☆Djibouti Yes 10 - 12 years - No No See LGBT rights in Djibouti.
☆Egypt No* - No (External Link) and LGBT rights in Egypt
Equatorial Guinea No - - No No -
Eritrea Yes 3 - 10 years - No No -
☆Ethiopia Yes 10 days - 3 years - No No See LGBT rights in Ethiopia.
☆Gabon No - - No No See LGBT rights in Gabon.
Gambia Yes Fine - 14 years - No No -
☆Ghana Yes ? - No No See LGBT rights in Ghana.
Guinea Yes 6 months - 3 years - No No -
Guinea Bissau Yes Labour camps - No No Page 17 of (External Link)
☆Kenya Male only Fine - 14 years - No No See LGBT rights in Kenya.
Lesotho Male only ? - No No -
Liberia Yes Fine - No No -
Libya Yes Fine - 5 years - No No -
Madagascar No - - No No -
Malawi Yes ? - 14 years - No No -
☆Mali No - - No No See LGBT rights in Mali.
Mauritania Yes Death - No No -
Mauritius No - - No No -
☆Morocco Yes 6 months - 3 years - No No See LGBT rights in Morocco.
Mozambique Yes Labour camps - No No Page 25 of (External Link).
Namibia No - - Yes No Constitutional protection for sexual orientation in Namibia since 2005 and laws against discrimination in the labour code since 1992.
☆Niger No - - No No See LGBT rights in Niger.
☆Nigeria Yes* 5 - 14 years/Death - No No *Areas under Sharia have instituted death for men and women. Any content, avocating groups or associations, support, talking to, marriage, etc regarding GLBT persons can land you in jail for at least four years (External Link). See LGBT rights in Nigeria.
Rwanda No - - No No (External Link), (External Link).
São Tomé and Príncipe Yes Labour camps - No No Page 34 of (External Link).
Senegal Yes 1 month - 5 years - No No -
Seychelles Yes Fine - 2 years - No No -
Sierra Leone Yes Life - Yes* No *The Anti-Corruption Commission stated in a press release that in a bid to attract competent and qualified staff, they operate a transparent recruitment policy, which even forbids discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
Somalia Yes* Death - No No *Areas under Sharia have instituted death for men and women.
☆South Africa No - Same-sex marriage Yes Yes Constitutional protection for sexual orientation in South Africa since 1996 and the first country in Africa to legalise same-sex marriage. See LGBT rights in South Africa
Sudan Yes 5 years - Death - No No -
Swaziland Male only* Fine US$90 - Prison - No No *Pending law, page 9 (Number 12), includes outlawing lesbian sex conduct. (External Link) and page 37 (External Link).
☆Tanzania Yes Fine - 25 years - No No In Zanzibar male homosexual acts are punished with up to 25 years imprisonment or fine. Lesbian acts are punished with up 7 years imprisonment or fine. See LGBT rights in Tanzania.
Togo Yes Fine - 3 years - No No -
☆Tunisia Yes Fine - 3 years - No No See LGBT rights in Tunisia.
Uganda Male only Fine - Life - No No The first country in the world to have a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage (since 2004).
Zambia Male only Fine - 14 years - No No -
☆Zimbabwe Male only Fine - 1 year - No No In July the Zimbabwe government passed the "sexual deviancy laws". (External Link), (External Link) and LGBT rights in Zimbabwe.

Asia
Country aws against homosexuality enalty ame-sex Unions aws against discrimination doption omments
☆Afghanistan ? ? No No ? ? - Unsure if homosexuality is a crime or not since the country is undergoing a period of relative chaos due to the continuing battles between NATO forces and the resurgent Taliban, but the death penalty (imposed under the Taliban) is no longer enforced. The Penal Code from 1976 in force, stipulates long imprisonment for adultery and pederasty. (External Link) and LGBT rights in Afghanistan.
☆Bahrain Male only Fine - 10 years - No No See LGBT rights in Bahrain.
Bangladesh Yes Life prison - death - No No - LGBT rights in Bangladesh.
Bhutan Yes* 1 month - 1 year - No No *In 2004, the penal code of Bhutan, page 9 of (External Link). However, there are no known cases of anyone having ever been charged with this petty misdemeanor. Little is known about gay life in Bhutan, as Bhutanese culture doesn't share the typical western view of heterosexuality and homosexuality. Some people have even called it a bisexual society, though this is disputed. (External Link).
Brunei Yes Fine - 10 years - No No -
☆Cambodia No - - No No Former king Norodom Sihanouk has called for legalisation of gay marriage. See LGBT rights in Cambodia.
☆China (PRC) No - - No No Marriage laws under-review. See (External Link) and GLBT rights in China
☆Hong Kong No - - Considered* No *AD under consideration. See LGBT rights in China#Hong Kong.
☆India Yes* Fine -/10 years - No No *Law remains on books since 1860, but government doesn't prosecute, criminalizes "carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman, or animal". Section 377 is currently facing constitutional challenge at the Delhi High Court in a petition filed by Naz Foundation. Homosexual marriages are de facto banned. See LGBT rights in India.
Indonesia No* - - No No *In 2002, the Aceh province was given the right to instate Islamic sharia by laws by the national parliament. Such law only applies to Muslims, and for example the city of Palembang in Southern Sumatra has introduced jail and hefty fines, for homosexual sex (External Link) and in 2003, a proposal to nationally criminalize homosexuality failed. See LGBT rights in Indonesia.
☆Iran Yes For men:Prison - No No Sex change operations have been given official government support as means to cure a gender identity disease. Law in Iran, in general, isn't formally in order and is often abused by government officials. There have not been official executions for homosexuality in many years, although some claim that teenagers Mahmoud Asgari and Ayaz Marhoni were executed for consensual homosexual sex and not for rape. See LGBT rights in Iran.
☆Iraq No* - - No No *No provisions of the current Iraqi criminal code deal with homosexuality. The U.S. occupation restored the criminal code back to its original 1969 edition. Before 2003, the criminal code was amended in 2001 to include the death penalty for homosexuality. However currently, death squads are operating in the country killing gays. (External Link) and LGBT rights in Iraq.
☆Israel No - Unregistered cohabition, Recognition of same-sex marriages performed abroad Yes ? Fairly strong support for giving legal recognition to same-sex couples. Only Middle Eastern nation to support gay rights legislation. The armed forces of Israel allow service without any distinction based on sexual orientation. See LGBT rights in Israel.
☆Japan No, but a higher age of consent in some prefectures - - Yes No Anti-discrimination law in Human Rights Act bill (2001) was failed in 2002. Similar proposal failed in 2005. See LGBT rights in Japan.
☆Jordan No* - - No No *While not a crime, reports have shown that LGBT people can be victims of vigilante "honour killings". See LGBT rights in Jordan.
☆Kazakhstan No - - No No See LGBT rights in Kazakhstan.
Kuwait No - - No No -
Kyrgyzstan No - - No No -
Laos No - - No No The Penal Code: (External Link), (External Link).
☆Lebanon Yes - - No No A small public growing campaign exists to legalize homosexual relations between consenting adults in private.But it still very badly seen by the lebanese society.Honor killings are present amoung the population. See LGBT rights in Lebanon.
Macau No - - No No See LGBT rights in China.
Malaysia Yes Fine - 20 years - No No Former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who was himself jailed for homosexuality, has called for their repeal. Marina Mahathir, the daughter of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, has called for an end to discrimination based on sexual orientation.(External Link) However, during Mahathir's term as Prime Minister, he warned gay ministers in foreign countries not to bring along their partners while visiting the nation. (External Link). See LGBT rights in Malaysia.
Maldives Male only Fine - 10 years - No No -
Mongolia No* - - No No *"Satisfaction of sexual desire in unnaturalmanner" in the Penal Code of 2002, and can't be used for consensual homosexuality in private anymore. (External Link).
Myanmar/Burma Yes* 10 years - Life - No No *One of the largest democracy activist organisations in exile has voted to decriminalise same-sex relations. See (External Link).
Nepal No - - No No The Penal Code of Nepal was struck down by Supreme Court on 21 December2007 (External Link).
☆North Korea No - - No No No public discussion or reference to homosexuality is allowed. Seen as a capitalist disease or vice. See LGBT rights in North Korea.
Oman Yes Fine - 3 years - No No -
☆Pakistan Yes* 2 years - Life - No No *The law applies to both men and women (External Link) and LGBT rights in Pakistan.
☆Palestinian Authority (Gaza) Male only* ? - 10 years - No No *Male homosexuality is illegal in Gaza, by the Criminal Code Ordinance 1936 still in force. Some are arrested or tortured and LGBT Palestinians often attempt to flee to Israel as they're targeted for death in PA-controlled areas. (External Link), (External Link) and LGBT Palestinian issues.
☆Philippines No - No Considered* No *AD in consideration and the Communist Party assist same-sex marriage. Same-sex marriages banned since 2003, yet there's a large support for repeal. See LGBT rights in the Philippines and Homosexuality in the Philippines
Qatar Yes Fine - 5 years - No No -
☆Saudi Arabia Yes Death - No No Jail time, fines or whipping may be used in lieu of the death penalty. See LGBT rights in Saudi Arabia
☆Singapore Yes* 2 years* - No No *Section 377A of the Penal Code, makes sex between males a punishment for up to 2 years jail - The law is rarely enforced, usually when it suspects risk of HIV infections during events such as sex parties (External Link). Government officials have made calls to embrace diversity and to legalize anal and oral sex or 'Gross indencency' between males (External Link). Former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong stated that openly gay people can be employed in the civil workforce. See LGBT rights in Singapore.
☆South Korea No - - No No No mention of homosexuality in Constitution or Civil Penal Code, although in practice widespread discrimination against gay people and censorship against gay websites is fairly common. Military Penal Code states up to a maximum of one year servitude or dishonorable discharge for homosexual acts performed while on active duty. See LGBT rights in South Korea.
Sri Lanka Yes Fine - 10 years - No No -
☆Syria Yes Fine, though it's rarely enforced - No No See LGBT rights in Syria.
☆Taiwan (ROC) No - Considered Yes No Pending law allows civil unions or same-sex marriage. See LGBT rights in Taiwan.
Tajikistan No - - No No -
☆Thailand No - - No No From 2005, Thailand allows LGBT people to serve in the military (External Link) and LGBT rights in Thailand.
Timor-Leste No - - No No -
Turkmenistan Male only Fine - 2 years - No No -
☆United Arab Emirates Yes Unknown - Death - No No See LGBT rights in United Arab Emirates.
Uzbekistan Male only* Fine* - 3 years* - No No *"Besoqolbozlik" (Only applies to anal sex) (External Link), page 43 of (External Link).
Vietnam No - - No No Same-sex marriages banned since 1998. Reports suggest that this ban extends to a prohibition on domestic partnerships and civil unions and/or having any sort of public commitment celebration.
West Bank No - - No No See LGBT rights in Israel.
Yemen Yes Flogging - Death - No No -

Europe

Note: membership of the European Union not only requires repeal of anti-homosexuality legislation, the Treaty of Amsterdam requires anti-discrimination legislation to be enacted by its member states.
Country aws against homosexuality enalty ame-sex Unions aws against discrimination doption omments
☆Albania No - - No No See LGBT rights in Albania.
☆Andorra No - Stable unions Yes* Yes *AD since 2005 (External Link) and LGBT rights in Andorra.
☆Armenia No - - No No See LGBT rights in Armenia.
☆Austria No - Unregistered cohabitation Yes No Unregistered cohabitation since 2003; Registered partnership Bill 2008 getting indroduced in March 2008. See LGBT rights in Austria.
☆Azerbaijan No - - No No See LGBT rights in Azerbaijan.
☆Belgium No - Same-sex marriage Yes Yes See LGBT rights in Belgium.
☆Belarus No - - No No LGBT people can be subjected to discrimination by the people and the government. See LGBT rights in Belarus.
☆Bosnia-Herzegovina No - - Yes No AD in Gender Equality Act since 2003. See LGBT rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina
☆Bulgaria No - - Yes No LGBT rights in Bulgaria.
☆Croatia No - Unregistered cohabitation Yes No See LGBT rights in Croatia.
☆Cyprus No*, age of consent is 17 for all, but woman to boy sex is 13 age of consent Europe (External Link) - - Yes No *Illegal in Northern Cyprus until 1 January 2009, by a new Criminal Code repealing the ban (See below). See LGBT rights in Cyprus.
☆Czech Republic No - Registered partnership Yes No See LGBT rights in the Czech Republic.
☆Denmark No - Registered partnership Yes No First country to legally recognise same-sex partnerships of any kind in 1989. See LGBT rights in Denmark.
☆Estonia No - - Yes No See LGBT rights in Estonia.
☆Faroe Islands No - Considered Yes* No *AD from 2006 (External Link) and LGBT rights in the Faroe Islands.
☆Finland No - Registered partnership Yes No See LGBT rights in Finland.
☆France No - pacte civil de solidarité Yes No It should be noted that pacte civil de solidarité (French civil unions) is a common choice with all couples. See LGBT rights in France.
☆Georgia No - - Yes No See LGBT rights in Georgia (country).
☆Germany No - Registered partnership Yes No Constitutional protection for sexual orientation in some states of Germany. See LGBT rights in Germany.
☆Gibraltar No, age of consent 18 just for male-male sex and 16 for others from 1993; Soon could be equalized (External Link) - Considered Yes No AD since 2004 (External Link). See LGBT rights in Gibraltar
☆Greece No, age of consent is 15 for all, but just for male-male sex (For the partner over 18) is 17 - Considered Yes No See LGBT rights in Greece.
Bailiwick of Guernsey - Including Alderney, Herm and Sark No, age of consent 18 for male-male and 16 for other acts from 1999; Soon could be equalized (External Link) - Considered Considered* No *AD in consideration and a proposed law to legalise civil partnerships passed its first reading in the States of Deliberation in 2006 (External Link).
☆Hungary No - Unregistered cohabitation; registered partnership from 01/01/2009 (External Link) Yes No registered partnership law will be effective on 01/01/2009 (External Link). See LGBT rights in Hungary.
☆Iceland No - Registered partnership Yes Yes See LGBT rights in Iceland.
☆ Ireland No - Civil partnerships bills being introduced in 2008 Yes No Civil Partnerships Bill 2008 - Currently awaiting approval (External Link) (External Link) (External Link). See LGBT rights in the Republic of Ireland.
☆Isle of Man No - Yes (recognised only) Yes (since 2005) No* *Adoption (Same-Sex Couples) Bill 2008 will be introduced to the House of Keys in April 2008. See LGBT rights in the Isle of Man.
☆Italy No - Some regions Yes (since 2003) No Civil unions are recognized in Tuscany, Umbria, Emilia Romagna, Campania, Marche, Veneto, Puglia, Lazio, Liguria and Abruzzo. See LGBT rights in Italy.
☆Bailiwick of Jersey No - Considered Yes Yes (External Link) Civil partnerships, AD laws and Adoption provided Civil partnerships in Jersey.
☆Kosovo No - - Yes* No *AD in Kosovo since 2001 and in Draft Constitution (effective from April 2008). See LGBT rights in Kosovo.
☆Latvia No - - Yes No Same-sex marriages banned. See LGBT rights in Latvia.
☆Liechtenstein No - Considered Considered Considered Registered partnerships, AD laws and Adoption are under consideration; See LGBT rights in Liechtenstein.
☆Lithuania No - - Yes No See LGBT rights in Lithuania.
☆Luxembourg No - Registered partnerships Yes No See LGBT rights in Luxembourg.
☆Macedonia No - - Yes (since 2005) No See LGBT rights in Macedonia.
☆Malta No - - Yes No See LGBT rights in Malta.
☆Moldova No - - Considered No See LGBT rights in Moldova.
☆Monaco No - No No No See LGBT rights in Monaco.
☆Montenegro No - - No No See LGBT rights in Montenegro.
☆Netherlands No - Same-sex marriage and Registered partnerships Yes Yes The first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage in 2001. See LGBT rights in the Netherlands.
☆Norway No - Registered partnership Yes Stepchild adoption only See LGBT rights in Norway.
☆Poland No - Considered* Yes No *Civil unions considered. See LGBT rights in Poland.
☆Portugal No - Registered partnership Yes No Constitutional protection for sexual orientation in Portugal since 2004. See LGBT rights in Portugal.
☆Romania No - - Yes No See LGBT rights in Romania.
☆Russia No - - Yes* No *Anti-Discrimination based on sexual orientation from a court ruling in 2005. See LGBT rights in Russia.
☆San Marino No - - No No See LGBT rights in San Marino.
☆Serbia (including Vojvodina) No - - Yes* No *Serbia ban discrimination based on sexual orientation in Labour Law since 2005. See LGBT rights in Serbia.
☆Slovakia No - - Yes No See LGBT rights in Slovakia.
☆Slovenia No - Registered partnership Yes No See LGBT rights in Slovenia.
☆Spain No - Same-sex marriage Yes Yes Unregistered and Registered Cohabitation in a number of regions. See LGBT rights in Spain.
☆Sweden No - Registered partnership Yes Yes Constitutional protection for sexual orientation in Sweden since 2003 and partnerships have the same rights as heterosexual marriage including adoption, but are legally distinct from marriage. See LGBT rights in Sweden.
☆Switzerland No - Registered partnership No No Constitutional protection for sexual orientation in Switzerland since 2000 based on "way of life". See LGBT rights in Switzerland.
☆Turkey No - - No No See LGBT rights in Turkey.
☆Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (not recognised internationally) Male only; No* (External Link) Fine/10-14 years No No No *The sodomy law will be "repealed" by a new Criminal Code, effective from 1 January 2009. See LGBT rights in Cyprus.
☆Ukraine No - No Considered No See LGBT rights in Ukraine.
☆United Kingdom No - Civil partnership Yes Yes* *England, Wales and Northern Ireland since 2005, Scotland since 2006; See LGBT rights in the United Kingdom.
☆Vatican City No* - No Yes** No *Homosexuality is technically legal, but its acting out is contrary to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. See LGBT rights in the Vatican City

North America
Country aws against homosexuality enalty ame-sex Unions aws against discrimination doption omments
Anguilla No - No - - Anguilla is a British Overseas Territory. Homosexual behaviour between two consenting adults in private was expressly legalised under the Caribbean Territories (Criminal Law) Order, 2000.
Antigua and Barbuda Yes 15 years - No - British laws are not applied to Antigua & Barbuda, and therefore the Sexual Offenses Act 1995 criminalising homosexual acts, is enforceable.(External Link).
☆Aruba No - Can not be performed, but is recognised Yes Yes The Dutch Government states that as part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Aruba is obliged to recognise civil unions and same-sex marriage as valid. However, Aruba can't perform SSM's, but has to be recognised by order of the Supreme Court in 2007 (External Link) LGBT rights in Aruba
☆Bahamas No, same-gender sex "in public" is a 20 year jail sentence and the age of consent "in private" for homosexual sex is 18, 16 for heterosexual sex (External Link) - - No - See LGBT rights in the Bahamas.
Barbados Yes Life - No - Laws currently under review - still illegal, but not enforced (External Link).
Belize Yes* 10 years - No - *Homosexuality re-criminalised from 2003. See(External Link) and also under section 26 ii (d) of the immigration act 1958, "Any prostitute or homosexual or any person who may be living on or receiving or may have been living on or receiving the proceeds of prostitution or homosexual acts." is outlawed from incoming to Belize. See(External Link).
Bermuda No, age of consent 18 just for male-male sex, 16 for others from 1994 (External Link) - Considered Considered* - *AD in consideration (External Link).
British Virgin Islands No - No Yes; discrimination on grounds of sexuality is prohibited under the 2007 Constitution - British Virgin Islands is a British Overseas Territory. Homosexual behaviour between two consenting adults in private was legalised under the Caribbean Territories (Criminal Law) Order, 2000.
☆Canada No, see anal sex in section 159 in the Criminal Code. However, the higher age of consent for anal sex has been recognised an unconstitutional by both the Ontario Court of Appeal in Re Carmen M and the Quebec Court of Appeal in R v. Roy.] (External Link) - Same-sex marriage Yes Yes Anti-discriminatory laws provided by constitution and Egan v. Canada; in all provincial/territorial civil rights codes since Vriend v. Alberta. Common-law marriage since M. v. H., 1999; SSM since Civil Marriage Act, 2005. See LGBT rights in Canada.
Cayman Islands No - No Yes - Cayman Islands is a British Dependent Territory. Homosexuality between two consenting adults in private was legalised under the Caribbean Territories (Criminal Law) Order, 2000.
☆Costa Rica No - Considered Yes* - *Anti-discrimination law since 1998. See (External Link); Same-sex marriages and 'scandalous sodomy' is banned. See LGBT rights in Costa Rica
☆Cuba No - Considered* No - *Civil unions or partnerships may be considered; see LGBT rights in Cuba.
Dominica Yes 10 years - No - From 1995 to 2000, 35 persons were arrested for the crime of buggery (External Link).
Dominican Republic No - - No - -
El Salvador No - No No No There is much discrimination within society, making it uncomfortable for people to come out
Greenland No - Yes Yes - See Civil Union.
Grenada Male only 10 years - No - .
☆Guadeloupe No - Pacte civil de solidarité Yes - Guadeloupe is a Département Français d'Outre-mer, so French Law is in force. See LGBT rights in France.
Guatemala No - - No - AD in Youth and Childhood Act since 1997.
☆Haiti No - - No - See LGBT rights in Haiti.
☆Honduras No - - No - Same-sex marriages and adoption banned in the Constitution since 2005. See LGBT rights in Honduras.
☆Jamaica Male only 10 years hard labour - No - Jamaica has been quoted as the worst place in all of the Americas for LGBT people. See LGBT rights in Jamaica.
☆Martinique No - Pacte civil de solidarité. Yes - Martinique is a Département Français d'Outre-mer, so French Law is in force. See LGBT rights in France.
☆Mexico No - Civil unions (Mexico City and Coahuila) Yes* - *Mexican Congress reformed the Constitution in 2001, to forbid discrimination of any kind; in 2003, this change produced the Federal Law to Prevent Discrimination that forbids discrimination by sexual orientation. Civil unions (Mexico City and Coahuila). See LGBT rights in Mexico.
Montserrat No - No - - Montserrat is a British Overseas Territory. Homosexual behaviour between two consenting adults in private was legalised under the Caribbean Territories (Criminal Law) Order, 2000.
☆Netherlands Antilles No - Can not be performed, only recognised Yes Yes As part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, civil unions and same-sex marriage are fully recognised as valid; however, they can't be performed in the Netherlands Antilles themselves. See LGBT rights in the Netherlands.
☆Nicaragua No - - No - A new Penal Code came into force since 1 March 2008, legalizing homosexuality. See LGBT rights in Nicaragua.
☆Panama ? - - No - ? Some reports say yes, other say No and LGBT people are banned from the military and police services only. See LGBT rights in Panama.
☆Puerto Rico No - - Considered* - *Civil unions considered and debated. Puerto Rico is a devoutly Christian island, and homosexuality isn't thought to be practised openly. See LGBT rights in Puerto Rico.
Saint Kitts and Nevis Male only 10 years - No - -
Saint Lucia Male only Fine-10 years - No - -
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Yes Fine-10 years - No - -
☆Trinidad and Tobago Yes* 25 years No No No *Applies to both men and women. Also under Article 8 (18/1) of the Immigration Act, homosexual men and women are not allowed to enter the country. (External Link) and LGBT rights in Trinidad and Tobago.
Turks and Caicos Islands No - No - - Turks and Caicos Islands is a British Overseas Territory. Homosexuality between two consenting adults in private was legalised under the Caribbean Territories (Criminal Law) Order, 2000.
☆United States No - Civil Unions: Vermont, Connecticut, New Jersey and New Hampshire. Domestic partnerships: California, Maine, Oregon, Washington, District of Columbia and Hawaii. Same-sex marriage performed and/or recognised: in Massachusetts and California, and only recognized in New York, New Mexico and Rhode Island. In 20 states* and 100 County, City or Council areas 10 states and 25 County, City or Council areas *13 states cover sexual orientation and gender identity, 7 only cover sexual orientation and 30 don't cover either.

Oceania
Country aws against homosexual behaviour enalty ame-sex Unions aws against discrimination doption omments
American Samoa No - - No No (External Link).
☆Australia (including Norfolk Island) No - Registered partnerships: The Council areas of Melbourne and Sydney, Tasmania and Victoria (affective 1/12/2008); Civil Partnerships: Australian Capital Territory (affective 15/11/2008); Unregistered co-habitation: Northern Territory, Norfolk Island, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and New South Wales Yes, all states and territories, (except Commonwealth legislation) In TAS and VIC you can adopt the biological child only; In ACT and WA joint adoption is available; SA, NT, NSW, QLD, NI adoption policies are banned and under review (no review for QLD) 100 Commonwealth laws still discriminate same-gender couples - By using the term 'member of the opposite sex'. Both Kevin Rudd and Brendon Nelson support removing these. Same-sex marriage is banned under Commonwealth law since 13 August 2004. See Recognition of same-sex relationships in Australia and LGBT rights in Australia.
☆Cook Islands Male only* Fine - 14 years No No No *Illegal, despite being part of New Zealand. See LGBT rights in New Zealand.
☆Fiji No - - - - Constitution outlaws discrimination against sexual orientation. See LGBT rights in Fiji.
Guam No - - Yes* Yes Guam is a US Territory which legalized sodomy in 1979. Guam has a anti-discrimination policies since 1999, some defacto relationship rights have been available since 2002 and adoption is available since 2006. However, the fundamentalist Catholic, Mormon and Christian churches have created an repressive atmosphere for gay people here resulting in most gay people being more or less in the closet, which makes it difficult to pull the community together and to come out of the closet, and live an open life.
Kiribati Male only Fine-14 years - No No See section 467A of the Criminal Code.
Marshall Islands No - - No No See Criminal Code (External Link).
Micronesia No - - - No -
Nauru Male only 14 years hard labour - - No Legislation indexed in written laws of the former criminal code of Queensland (When Nauru became independent from Australia, Queensland in 1962).
☆New Caledonia No - - Considered. See Pacte civil de solidarité. Considered See LGBT rights in France.
☆New Zealand No - Civil unions Yes Yes See LGBT rights in New Zealand.
☆Niue Male only* Fine-10 years - No No *Illegal, despite being part of New Zealand. See LGBT rights in New Zealand.
Palau Male only Fine-10 years - No No - Illegal as a hold over from US Military Laws when Palau was a US Territory and Christian Missionary influence.
Papua New Guinea Male only Fine-14 years - No No -
☆Pitcairn Island No - Yes Yes No Pitcairn Island is under British law. See LGBT rights in the United Kingdom.
Samoa Yes Fine-7 years (External Link) - No No