Mauritania

This Islamic republic has the death penalty on file for cases of homosexuality. Death is administered by “public stoning.”

Nigeria

Homosexuality is still illegal and can land you in jail for 14 years. In the 12 northern states under sharia law, execution by stoning is still practised. Needless to say, homosexuals stay hidden.

Iran

You guessed it – Iran puts gays to death. Of course, the president recently denied there are any gays in Iran. There are also harsh penalties for non-?Muslims who have gay sex with Muslims.

Sudan

Sudan has a three-strike system for sodomy. First time, flogging (100 lashes) and five years in jail. Do it again, another 100 lashes and max five years. Third offence? Death (or life in jail).

United Arab Emirates

People were sent to jail for being openly gay last year. Some cross-dressers at a sporting celebration were also interrogated. Non-?citizens living in the UAE with HIV were denied health care, quarantined and then deported.

Saudi Arabia

Sharia law, again, says kill the gays. Offenders may also be flogged. Last year, two men were sentenced to 7,000 lashes each for having sex with other men. Over the last few years, dozens of men have been arrested for “behaving like women.”

Yemen

Under Yemen’s 1994 penal code, unmarried sodomy gets you 100 lashes and a year in jail. Married men? Death by stoning. Women participating in “sexual stimulation by rubbing” get up to three years in jail.

Jamaica

Sodomy can get you 10 years of hard labour – if the street hate doesn’t get you first. Legislation doesn’t necessarily target gays, but charges of debauchery get laid when the raids happen. The government has also used emergency courts, typically used for terrorism or national security cases, to prosecute homosexuals.

Russia

Homosexuality isn’t illegal, but it’s not easy. In addition to societal stig­ma, intolerance has led to reports of limited health resource access, and some gay men report being denied employment because of their sexual orientation. Police indifference has caused many gay orgs to choose to stay out of the public eye.

India

Sodomy laws are used to pun­ish the LGBT community. Members face discrimination across the whole society and will often face job loss and attacks upon being discovered as homosexuals.