Most parts of the world can be a cruel place for homosexuals, demonstrated by a video where two Indonesian men, aged 20 and 23 were canned publicly for having sex.
The pair were last week found guilty for breaking sharia rules in the conservative Aceh province -- the only part of Indonesia that implements Islamic law -- and sentenced to 85 strokes of the cane each.
(Courtesy: Youtube/ AP)
The men, whose identities have not been revealed, were caught together in March by vigilantes who burst into the house where they were staying in the provincial capital Banda Aceh.
Hundreds of LGBT people have been killed and thousands injured in recent years around the world, in violence that included knife attacks, anal rape and genital mutilation, as well as stoning and dismemberment, the UN said in a 2015 report.
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A landmark ruling by a Taiwan top court, however, has raised hopes of many, paving the way for the country to become the first in Asian to legalize same-sex marriage, adding to the list of the few countries in the entire world to have done so.
23 countries all over the world, the latest being Taiwan allow same-sex marriage.
Netherlands- The first law providing for marriage of people of the same sex in modern times was enacted in 2001 in the Netherlands.
Argentina- Argentina became the first Latin American country to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry in July 2010.
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Ireland- Ireland was among the first countries to recognise homosexuality as a natural concept. Home of Oscar Wild and other prominent gay artistes, the country is among the very few to not have a prejudiced view to homosexuality, even as it was dominated by Catholic Church post independence.
Canada- Canada's Prime Minister has been a strong advocate for lgbt rights. Same-sex marriage had been legal in nine of the 13 provinces when the Parliament passed a countrywide law in 2005.
Denmark- Same-sex marriage is legal in Denmark where marriage is gender neutral. The Danish law requires state-run Evangelical Lutheran churches to allow same-sex marriages but does not compel clergy to perform them.
Finland- As of march 1 this year, Finland, one of the happiest countries of the world, had another reason to rejoice. The country allowed same-sex couples to marry, bringing to thirteen the number of European countries with marriage equality laws- the other twelve being Belgium, Denmark, France, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Other countries where it's safe to be gay are South Africa, Spain, Brazil, Estonia, New Zeland, Slovenia, and Uruguay.
