Pridefully Gay

One may be pridefully gay in some countries of the world. Oddly enough given Catholic Spain's religious heritage, it challenges Germany which once, in the 20th Century, committed gays to death camps. But those two countries, Spain and Germany, appear very receptive to homosexuality now, with a huge 80% acceptability rate among their populations. Outdistancing Canada -- which guarantees equality under the Constitution as an indisputable human right -- by a narrow margin.

As for countries which are most definitely unwilling to view homosexuals as equals, and use their laws to fundamentally target and persecute them, there are the usual suspects, the worst being Islamic countries, although Russia and China and South Africa have gone to great lengths to emphasize their distaste for such 'degenerate' gender proclivities. Still, it is instructive to concern oneself with the miserable plight of those living in the Middle East and Africa, as an example of gender-role intolerance.

• Sudan: Homosexuality is punishable by lashings and the death penalty, for men on a third offence;
• Mauritania: Homosexual acts between males are punishable by death if witnessed by four individuals;
• Nigeria: Adults convicted of same-sex sexual activity may be subject to execution by stoning, although no such sentences have actually been known to have yet been imposed;
• Yemen: Unmarried men are lashed, married men receive death by stoning as rewards for homosexual activities;
• United Arab Emirates: Homosexuality is banned, full stop. Some dispute remains whether the death penalty is applicable;
• Saudi Arabia: No "gay" executions reported since 2002, but homosexuals are flogged and imprisoned;
• Iraq: Homosexuality is not strictly illegal, but gay rights groups report hundreds of gay men killed since 2003 by "death squads"'
• Iran: Death penalty is believed to have been used against gay men in the last few years;
• Jamaica: A recent poll found 70% did not believe homosexuals should have the same rights as other Jamaicans. Sexual acts between men are punishable with up to ten years' imprisonment; sexual acts between women are deemed legal.

Global statistics appear to rate Spain, Germany, Canada, Argentina, Philippines, Chile, Mexico, the United States, South Korea, China, Kenya and Egypt as becoming increasingly more accepting of homosexual activities rights, with the former in the high range of increasing acceptability, and the latter four lagging badly.

Those countries whose acceptance rate appears fairly static with little change evinced either pro- or con-acceptance of homosexuality in their societies are Italy, Britain, Poland, Israel, Japan and France. 

Those countries identified as becoming less accepting of the prevalence of homosexuality among their populations are the Czech Republic, Russia, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, West Bank/Gaza, Pakistan, Ghana, and finally Uganda. In this category, less tolerance is less tolerance, but the last four named in particular are represented at the very lowest quotient of tolerance.

Of those countries named in a Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life - Global Attitudes Project 2013 and Angus Reid Public Opinion 2012, the countries named, range from Spain, followed by Germany, Canada, Czech Republic, Australia, France, Britain, Argentina, Italy, Philippines, Chile, Mexico, Brazil, United States, Japan, Greece, Venezuela, Bolivia, Poland, Israel, South Korea, El Salvador, South Africa, at the top of the spectrum and graduating downward.

And, at the bottom of the spectrum of acceptance of homosexuality the countries named in graduating descent are China, Lebanon, Russia, Malaysia, Turkey, Kenya, Gaza & W.Bank, Uganda, Egypt, Ghana, Indonesia, Jordan, Senegal, Pakistan, Tunisia, Nigeria.