LGBT+ TRAVEL SAFETY INDEX: COUNTRIES ON EARTH TO AVOID

On Earth, about 70 countries are behind the curve and still have homosexual love illegal, and you could even be given the death penalty for it in 12 of them. (at time of writing).

Surprisingly, the “World Health Organization” (WHO) declassified “homosexuality” as a disease and mental disorder only in 1992.

The map by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association shows that only 65% of those living on Earth can now be, legally, in consensual same-sex relationships.

In Saudi Arabia, Iran, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia and Nigeria, death penalty is regularly imposed to homosexuals. While other places apply prison sentences going from a few years to life. Though the criminalization is centered mainly in Africa and the Middle East, as the map above shows, it also persists in the Caribbeans and elsewhere. Where is the Sacred Band of Thebes when you need them?

It is therefore highly not recommended for queer people to travel and spend their money there. Those dangerous countries for the LGBT+ people are:

Afghanistan

Algeria

Antigua & Barbuda

Bangladesh

Barbados

Bhutan

Brunei

Burundi

Cameroon

Chad

Comoros

Cook Islands

Dominica

Egypt

Eritrea

Eswatini

Ethiopia

Gambia

Ghana

Grenada

Guinea

Guyana

Iran

Jamaica

Kenya

Kiribati

Kuwait

Lebanon

Liberia

Libya

Malawi

Malaysia

Maldives

Mauritania

Mauritius

Morocco

Myanmar

Namibia

Nigeria

Oman

Palestinian Territory (Gaza Strip)

Pakistan

Papua New Guinea

Qatar (Dubai)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Lucia

Saint Vincent and The Grenadines

Samoa

Saudi Arabia

Senegal

Sierra Leone

Singapore

Solomon Islands

Somalia

South Sudan

Sri Lanka

Sudan

Syria

Tanzania

Togo

Tonga

Tunisia

Turkmenistan

Tuvalu

Uganda

Uzbekistan

Yemen

Zambia

Zimbabwe

In about three-quarters of those countries, report author Aengus Carroll says, the laws are colonial legacies. India’s penal code Section 377, for example, which prohibits “carnal intercourse against the order of nature,” dates back to British rule in the 1860s.

Section 377 “became a model anti-sodomy law,” writes Alok Gupta in a 2008 Human Rights Watch report. “Its influence stretched across Asia, the Pacific islands, and Africa, almost everywhere the British imperial flag flew.” Thank you British Empire.

Elsewhere, new laws on sexual expression, forbid LGBT “propaganda” or “promotion”. Russia, for example, decriminalized same-sex sexual acts in 1993, but in 2013 banned public affirmations of “non-traditional sexual relations.”

Below are more details with examples of the places to boycott and why:

Antigua and Barbuda

Kissing your boyfriend in nature. Think again, if caught, gay relations in this Caribbean country will get you a trip to prison for 15-years. Crazy.

Barbados

The punishment for homosexuality on this island getaway is life in prison. What is Rihanna waiting for to make them change that law?

Dominica

Punishment for an adult homosexual is between four to 10 years in prison…. and a trip to a psychiatric hospital.

Botswana

If you’re caught in Botswana having gay affection you can earn a prison sentence of up to seven years.

Kenya

This summer the Kenyan high court upheld a draconian colonial law outlawing homosexuality — anyone found having a same-sex romance can be imprisoned for up to 14 years.

Granada

The “Spice” of the Caribbean will sentence you to 10 years in prison if you engage in homosexuality there.

Jamaica

A popular cruise stop for the straights, Jamaica isn’t so laidback when it comes to LGBTQ rights. Punishment for being gay includes 10 years in prison…. and slavery labor.

Myanmar

Not all Buddhist countries are peaceful and relaxed. As well as committing a genocide against its minority, Myanmar also imprisons homosexuals for up to 10 years as well as charging hefty fines.

The Maldives

Just got married and want to spend a nice honeymoon? Well this vacation spot in the middle of the Indian Ocean is only safe to straight people. It is ruled by the blasphemous sharia law, which calls for 100 lashes and imprisonment for up to four years for “unlawful sexual conduct” to you and your husband. Still want to go there?

St. Kitts and Nevis

Known by the straights for its rainforested mountains and beaches, none of this matter anymore since homosexuals face anywhere from four to 10 years in prison with a chance for hard labor.

St. Lucia

St. Lucia’s laws call for imprisonment anywhere from five to 10 years for anyone found engaging in same-sex.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines

This southern Caribbean island is home to straight luxury hotels — and a stiff prison sentence of five to 10 years for homosexuals.

Samoa

The Pacific Islands are known to be laidback, relaxed and welcoming — unless you’re gay, which can get you up to five years in prison. Choose the Canary Islands or Greece instead.

Tanzania

Punishment for same-sex relations can garner anywhere from 30 years to life in prison.

ALL IS NOT BAD

The trends aren’t all bad. As consciousness wises-up, the number of countries that criminalize same-sex relations keeps declining. Indeed, we can witness a widening trend of not only decriminalization but even marriage recognition as you can see through our articles.

Vote with your wallet, prefer booking your trip in countries that value and respect us. The first ones on your bucket list should definitely be super gay Spain (Canary Islands, Madrid, Barcelona, Sitges, Torremolinos), but also Greece (Mykonos), Berlin (Germany), Israel (Tel Aviv), Mexico (Puerto Vallarta), Cuba, France (Paris), The Netherlands (Amsterdam), Belgium (Brussels), the UK (London), the USA (New York, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, San Francisco). It is better that your money support those economies.