Violence Against the Global LGBTQ+ Community

Progress towards equality has been a constant theme throughout history around the world.  From religious freedom to racial equality, there has always been room for humanity to grow and learn to change its ways.  While there certainly has been progress made such as the Civil Rights and Black Lives Matter movements gaining power within the last 50 years, people of color still face discrimination daily, as well as many other groups of minorities.  One of the biggest groups that has been discriminated against is the LGBTQ+ community. This group has faced ridicule for actions such as having sexual relations with a partner of the same gender or transitioning from one gender to another.  An unfortunate statistic  from UCLA School of Law states that LGBT members are four times more likely to be a victim of either domestic or sexual violence than a non-member of the community. While the United States has transitioned from a mainly homophobic society to passing laws for same-sex marriage, there are still many countries that are not on the same page. One way to educate ourselves on where our world is at with acceptance is by looking at the rates of violence towards members of the LGBTQ+ community in countries deemed accepting and unaccepting of this community.

One country that is accepting of LGBTQ+ members through their laws and leaders is Canada.  Canada legalized gay marriage in 2005, and was the fourth country to do so, but this was not even the beginning of their fight for LGBTQ+ rights.  The province of Quebec had banned any discrimination of sexual orientation in 1977 and from there the country continued to slowly but surely pass more anti-discrimination laws.  Canada was even the first country in North America to accept homosexuality legally.  Despite Canada being considered safe for LGBTQ+ individuals, one must take into account the rates of violence that occur.   In 2019, it was reported there were 263 hate crimes with LGBTQ+ victims.

The Netherlands was the first country in the world to legalize gay marriage.  In fact, it has been said that the country has been accepting of homosexuality since 1811, but officially passed the law on same-sex marriage and adoption in 2001.  Meanwhile, a survey was conducted by the European Union Agency of the Fundamental Rights for LGBTQ+ members who lived in Europe to take.  Those who lived in the Netherlands reported the following: 38% were harassed within the past year of the survey and 1 in 5 trans people were attacked within the past five years.

Both Canada and the Netherlands are often seen high on any list for safe places to visit for LGBTQ+ travelers, but as seen in statistics, even the places ranked high on these lists have violence rates of their own. However, there are still 70 countries in the world that still criminalize any sort of same-sex relations or change of gender.  The punishments for the “crime” range from a few years in prison and fines for the death penalty.  One example of a country on this list is Egypt which does not even recognize the existence of being LGBTQ+ .  In addition, the Egypt Alliance of Queer Egyptian Organizations stated in 2019 that the government has been involved in assaults including forced anal exams as well as discrimination in different sectors such as housing and healthcare. Authorities in Egypt are also involved in these acts, as it was found by Human Rights Watch that seven men were found and arrested through online social media platforms where their sexuality was depicted through certain gestures that were described as “gay”.  

As many individuals fight each day for equality, it is hard to see the hate crimes around the world daily on those who are expressing their sexuality as they are.  It can be difficult to watch news stories about these cases and even more difficult to figure out how to help.  However, by advocating for LGBTQ+ rights and participating in marches for rights, one can stay active in the fight! If you or someone you know is facing violence for their sexual identity or gender, you are not alone and we at PAVE are here to support you every step of the way.  Visit survivors.org for more resources!

Written By: Kelli Green, PAVE’s Fall 2021 Outreach Intern

Resources:

UCLA School of Law

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights

Human Rights Watch