Most LGBTQ-friendly nations in the world

Read Time: 3 minutes

While India decriminalized homosexuality back in September 2018, we still have a long way to go as a society where everyone has equal rights. Especially the LGBTQ+ community in India has to face a lot of struggles just for their right to live. The steep number of suicides relating to this is evidence enough that India needs to take steps for safeguarding the rights of its citizens despite their sexual orientation.

So we looked into other nations that we might learn from in this regard. And as expected, it’s the thinking of the people that makes the most difference. Though it is also true that with due time and perseverance thinking can change- take the example of family planning and girl education in our country.
So without further ado, let’s take a look at the top LGBTQ friendly countries in the world –

CANADA

The first country to celebrate its LGBTQ community on its currency- Canada is an ideal country when it comes to equal rights and maybe the only one even close to being called a true egalitarian society. Even as back as 15 years ago when Canada became the 4th country to legalize gay marriage. And that’s a given when even the Country’s leaders show open support for LGBTQ people and participate in a pride parade!

Canada is the only country where you can even imagine seeing such a sight and it makes us happy to think that such places exist. Every one of us deserves to be treated with respect, free to live our own lives and Canada proves that it is not impossible to create a country where anyone and everyone can feel they belong.

SPAIN

Spain has some of the most liberal-minded and accepting people in the world. Not only the country hosts one of the largest gay pride events in the world but also houses popular LGBTQ hotspots such as its own capital Madrid, Barcelona and Gran Canaria. Spain was also the third country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage.

THE NETHERLANDS

The beautiful Netherlands is also quite progressive when it comes to equal rights for all citizens. It was the first country to legalize same-sex marriage in 2001, that is, almost 20 years ago! As much as 85% of their total population supports same-sex marriage and adoption, according to a 2013 survey.
One of the parallels to see here is that the Netherlands decriminalized Homosexuality back in 1811…. 207 years before India finally took the step. Discrimination based on sexual orientation was banned in 1994, while Indian LGBTQ communities still struggle a lot due to it.

SWEDEN

Sweden decriminalized homosexuality in 1944 and has many a laws in place to make sure that the LGBTQ+ community has equal rights and opportunities without facing any kind of discrimination.

PORTUGAL

Article 13 of Portugal’s constitution bans any discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. The country decriminalized homosexuality in 1982 and legalized same-sex marriage in 2010, becoming the 8th country in the world to do so. Portugal also passed the Law of Gender Identity in 2011which is considered to be one of the most advanced trans-friendly laws in the world.