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Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025

Are homosexual acts criminalized in 65 countries?

Tom Kertscher / Wisconsin Watch, Wisconsin Watch
yes

Homosexual acts are illegal in 65 countries, according to several reports.

U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, a Madison-area Democrat, alluded to the number Dec. 3.

Human Dignity Trust, which uses litigation to challenge laws that target people based on sexual orientation or gender identity, says all or parts of 65 countries criminalize same-sex, consensual sexual activity. All criminalize men; 41 criminalize women. 

The continent with the most bans is Africa, with 32 countries.

In North America, the maximum punishment in Jamaica, Grenada and Saint Vincent is 10 years imprisonment.

The ILGA World advocacy group also counts 65 countries, including seven that impose the death penalty: Brunei, Iran, Mauritania, parts of Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Uganda and Yemen.76crimes.com, which tracks anti-LGBTI laws, says 65 is down from 92 in 2006. The latest to criminalize homosexuality was Burkina Faso in West Africa on Sept. 1, 2025.

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