Gay Rights Globally – How do we increase them?

In many parts around the world gay people live lives protected by legislation that outlaw discrimination against them or have to right to get married or register their partnerships, but in many places around there is no such legislation. In fact in some places laws actively discriminate against homosexuals. In Africa 33 states of the 52 on the continent have laws against homosexuality. The punishment for convictions under these laws ranges from a fine in some countries to the death penalty in others. Should this be allowed on today’s world that a government can actively discriminate against a part of its own population?

In recent years they has been a more proactive stance taken by some countries in protecting minorities in countries, especially since they failed to stop the massacre in Rwanda and Bosnia. This has led to interventions to protect the Kosovo Albanians and other minorities being attacked by their own governments. Should this be adopted by countries that have excellent Human Rights laws for homosexuals? Or should economic and political pressure be enough to pressure these countries to change there laws.

The European Parliament has already voted on a resolution stating that that will not support a country’s application to join the European Union if they discriminate against homosexuals in their societies. Should this condition also be attached to trade agreements and countries the EU has dealings with?

There are many countries around the world where it is very dangerous to be a homosexual. These countries include Fiji, Jamaica and many Muslim dominated countries. A country with has very harsh regime against homosexuality is Saudi Arabia where just your sexual orientation, not that you were having a consensual sexual act, is enough to secure a guilty verdict in the Kingdom. Is this a country that the EU or our own countries individually, should be dealing with?

Many peoples irrational fear of Homosexuality should be proven unfounded by legislation to protect against discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. This has even been added to the Geneva Convention on Asylum Seekers and is a valid reason to claim asylum. The fact that this agreed by the signatories of the convention means that these countries should be pushing countries with laws against homosexuality into reforming or dismantling outdated legislation against it.