Pride Month: LGBTQ People Around the World

This week, Jerky goes on a world tour of LGBTQ recognition around the globe. 

The Stonewall Inn riots most definitely lit the flames of LGBTQ advocacy around the United States, and it inspired other states and countries to do the same. The post-Stonewall years allowed the community to slowly get out of the shadows of clandestine bars and underground scenes. 

Historically, LGBTQ people's treatment varied greatly around the globe, and it is still the case nowadays. Some cultures seemed to ignore LGBTQ people, others accepted them partially, and some outright criminalized them—fines, whipping, prison, dismemberment, castration, or even death were the possible punishments. 

Sexual and gender non-conformity is legally punishable by death in 11 countries and criminalized to various extents in 67… and that’s only the countries where official anti-LGBTQ laws exist. It does not count the various states and countries where LGBTQ expression is unlawfully repressed.

Same-sex marriage is legally recognized in 34 countries around the world, including the United States. Citizens are constitutionally protected from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in only a handful of countries: Cuba, Ecuador, Fiji and Malta. 

Even countries considered very supportive of LGBTQ rights, such as Portugal, Norway and New Zealand, only protect against orientation-based discrimination, not gender identity. 

Social acceptance of same-sex couples changed dramatically in the last few decades. In the US, support for same-sex marriage more than doubled over the last 25 years, from 27% in 1996 to 71% in 2022. 

Most people who changed their minds about the topic did so because they now have someone close to them who came out as gay. Similar trends can be seen in other countries worldwide, such as the UK, Mexico, Canada and South Africa. 

In a 2021 survey spanning 27 countries, 11% of the respondents claimed being attracted in some way to the same sex. Within Gen Z, it gets as high as almost 1 in 5, followed by Millenials at 12%, Gen X at 9% and Boomers at 7%. 

Same-sex attraction is not necessarily more prevalent today, but its greater acceptance allows younger generations to be more open and fully express it. 

This Pride Month is a reminder of everything that has been done and everything that still has to be done to make our world safer for LGBTQ people, everywhere. 

Being part of the LGBTQ community is still a crime in dozens of countries, and your life should not be in danger because of who you love or which gender you identify with.

This Pride month, cheer on the community by supporting your favorite LGBTQ cam models on Jerkmate. 

Create a new Premium account in June and Jerky will donate 5$ to the Trevor Project to support LGBTQ youth’s health and safety!