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ILGA’S STATE-SPONSORED HOMOPHOBIA REPORT 2013 Happiness and anger

PRESS RELEASE

ILGA’S STATE-SPONSORED HOMOPHOBIA REPORT 2013

Happiness and anger

Geneva, 15 May 2013 – The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) has launched its 2013 issue of the state-sponsored homophobia report, a world survey of laws on criminalisation, protection and recognition of same-sex love, from its newly opened office in Geneva.

“We are very proud of the format and the richness in information of this edition” said ILGA co-Secretaries General Renato Sabbadini and Gloria Careaga, “which make it easier to consult for anyone who wants to find out about legislation affecting – negatively or positively – lesbians and gays in the world today. The content of the report offers reasons for happiness and anger at the same time, as on the one hand we see how more and more countries adopt equal marriage and other pieces of progressive legislation, while on the other hand criminalisation on the basis of sexual orientation is maintained in 78 countries.”

“Moreover, an extremely worrying development is to be found in Russia, where the state does not criminalise same-sex sexual relations, but nevertheless sanctions and encourages homophobia by way of laws against LGBTI activists, preposterously defined by the Russian authorities as ‘homosexual propaganda’. It is no exaggeration” concluded Careaga and Sabbadini, “to say that the Russian State bears the moral responsibility for the homophobic murder of Vlad Tornovy in Volgograd few days ago. More needs to be done to fight homophobia, both in countries where being gay or lesbian is legal and in those where it is not.”

The report, edited by Lucas Paoli Itaborahy and Jingshu Zhu, has been presented at the City Hall of Geneva, at the presence of more than 30 UN Delegates.

Click here to download the report and here for the world map on lesbian and gay rights

For more information on the report and the related world map, click here.