Sexual Minorities
Consensual sexual acts between adults of the same-sex are illegal in 78 countries (roughly 40% of the world’s nations), primarily in Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean. LGBT individuals can be legally sentenced to death in 7 countries (Saudi Arabia, Iran, Yemen, Sudan, Mauritania, parts of Nigeria, and parts of Somalia). Only 10 countries constitutionally prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation.
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Current estimates suggest that almost 4% of the US population (approximately 9 million Americans) self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. Eight percent of Americans report that they have engaged in some same-sex sexual behavior at some point in their lives.
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Forty-two percent of Americans believe that same-sex relations between consenting adults are morally wrong, and approximately one-third believe that same-sex relations should be illegal and that homosexuality is caused by upbringing/environment. 1,278 hate-crimes motivated by sexual-orientation bias were reported by the FBI in 2010. 27 of these crimes were murders. Many of the Southern, Midwestern, and Great Plains states do not allow domestic partnerships/civil unions/marriage between same-sex couples and do not have explicit anti-discrimination employment, housing, school, or hate crime laws for LGBT individuals.
U.S. Department of State – Human Rights Report (2010)
The Williams Institute – How Many People are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender?
Gallup – U.S. Acceptance of Gay/Lesbian Relations is the New Normal