The Sri Lankan government announced on February 9 that they would support efforts to decriminalize homosexuality in the country. The announcement came after receiving recommendations from other UN member states during the country’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR).
Israel’s far-right finance minister and deputy speaker of Israel’s parliament Bezalel Smotrich outed himself as a fascist homophobe but said he won’t stone gay people to death or eat shrimp.
Israel's far-right finance minister: 'I'm a fascist homophobe but... I won't stone gays' https://t.co/XZxikjeZIX
Israeli politician and incoming minister, Orit Strook, caused concern with recent anti-LGBT comments. Belonging to Benjamin Netanyahu's new government, Strook has suggested that Israeli doctors should be allowed to refuse treatment to LGBTQ patients, alluding to religious differences.
The High Court of Barbados has decriminalized gay sex. Two anti-LGBT laws in the Caribbean Island nation have been repealed. Although these laws were almost never put into practice, they were seen as a symbol of inequality for the queer community.
An Egyptian deputy sheikh likened homosexuality to terrorism, calling it a “moral perversion” and urging religious authorities to fight against homosexuality, according to a report by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).
The Russian president signed a bill that completely prohibits the public expression of LGBTQ+ life in the country.
According to reports, the newly signed bill makes it illegal to spread anything about LGBTQ+ life in Russia. It prohibits "any action or the spreading of any information that is considered an attempt to promote homosexuality in public, online, or in films, books or advertising."
A local restaurant in Virginia canceled a private event of a Christian group that holds anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-abortion views for the safety of its staff.
In an Instagram post on December 1, the Metzger Bar and Butchery in Richmond, Virginia, announced that it had canceled a private event.
Since Qatar won the right to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the conservative Gulf state has received negative attention for its poor treatment of migrant workers and members of the LGBT community.
Singapore’s Parliament unanimously voted to repeal Section 377A of its Penal Code on Tuesday, removing the colonial-era ban on sex between men. The abolition of this law came amidst slowly changing attitudes towards homosexuality in the South East Asian country.
Last August, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced in Malay, Mandarin, and English that the government would vote to revoke the law but maintained that the country would continue to protect the definition of marriage between a man and a woman.
Malaysia’s Islamic religious authorities raided a Halloween party attended by members of the LGBT community on October 29, where around 20 people were arrested for alleged violations under Sharia law.
Malaysian authorities detained 20 Muslim attendees at a Halloween event in Kuala Lumpur. The country's strict religious rules only apply to Muslim Malays.https://t.co/SwwpSw0AzL
