Death by sodomy.The U.S. Supreme Court struck down all U.S. sodomy laws in 2003, and no European countries outlaw gay sex--not even Vatican City Vatican City (văt`ĭkən), independent state (2005 est. pop. 900), 108.7 acres (44 hectares), within the city of Rome, Italy, and the residence of the pope, who is its absolute ruler. . But laws against homosexuality are alive and well in many nations around the world, where penalties range from a fine to life in prison to execution. In the African nation of Cameroon, for example, seven men whose "crime" was attending a gay-friendly nightclub last year were found guilty of sodomy sodomy Noncoital carnal copulation. Sodomy is a crime in some jurisdictions. Some sodomy laws, particularly in Middle Eastern countries and those jurisdictions observing Shari'ah law, provide penalties as severe as life imprisonment for homosexual intercourse, even if the and sentenced in June to 10-month jail terms. Similar cases are heard daily in nations around the world, says Cary Alan Johnson of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) is an international organisation addressing human rights violations against lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and people with HIV/AIDS. . Sodomy laws, he says, are regularly used to "scapegoat scapegoat In the Old Testament, a goat that was symbolically burdened with the sins of the people and then killed on Yom Kippur to rid Jerusalem of its iniquities. Similar rituals were held elsewhere in the ancient world to transfer guilt or blame. gay and lesbian people, particularly in developing countries." The map below depicts many of the countries where gay sex is outlawed; countries in pale yellow are not necessarily gay-friendly but may not have explicit bans. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] |
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