Gay rights asia

Laws governing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) rights are complex in Asia, and acceptance of LGBTQ people varies. Same-sex sexual activity is outlawed in twenty-one Asian countries. The Asia Pacific region has seen significant victories in the fight for LGBTQIA+ equality over the past decade, particularly in the past year.

Recent milestones include same-sex marriage registration in Nepal, adoption rights for same-sex couples in Taiwan, and the decriminalization of gay sex in Singapore. The struggle for equal rights and recognition of the LGBTQ+ community throughout Asia is one of encouraging wins, exhausting stagnation, and outright setbacks. Here's an overview of recent developments confronting LGBTQ+ people, and with that all of us, in various countries in the region.

From legal protections to vibrant LGBTQ+ communities, here are the eight most LGBT-friendly countries in Asia. Taiwan. Leading the way as the first Asian nation to legalize same-sex marriage in , Taiwan has set a precedent for LGBT rights in the region. Thailand joined the Equal Rights Coalition of countries supporting LGBT rights; it is the first Asian country to join.

Vietnam: A Gender Affirmation Law was meant to be discussed by the National Assembly this year, but it has been indefinitely postponed. Same-sex marriage is an active legal and social issue across South , Southeast and East Asia. In the wake of several court rulings on the issue across Asia in the past year, we analyzed data from three recent Pew Research Center surveys to see how people in the region feel about legalizing same-sex marriage.

This Pew Research Center analysis focuses on public opinion of legal same-sex marriage in Asia. It also explores how views vary by religion, age and gender. This analysis draws from three surveys conducted across 12 places in Asia.

gay southeast asia

Interviews were conducted face-to-face in Vietnam. All interviews in Malaysia and Singapore were conducted over the phone.

Interviews were conducted face-to-face in Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Both the survey in East Asia and the one in South and Southeast Asia are part of the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures project , which analyzes religious change and its impact on societies around the world. Data for India and Indonesia is from a public survey conducted this spring. In India, we interviewed 2, adults from March 25 to May 11, In Indonesia, we interviewed adults from March 10 to May 10, Interviews in both places were conducted face-to-face.

Respondents for all surveys were selected using probability-based sample designs. In Thailand, we conducted additional interviews in the Southern region, which has larger shares who are Muslim. The data in all publics was weighted to account for different probabilities of selection among respondents and to align with demographic benchmarks for adult populations. Here are the questions used for the analysis , along with responses, and the survey methodology.

Related: How people around the world view same-sex marriage. Japan, the only Group of Seven member that does not legally recognize same-sex couples, has been facing internal and external pressure to do so. A Hong Kong court recently ruled that same-sex couples hold equal inheritance rights, though Hong Kong law does not allow them to marry. Six-in-ten adults there favor allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally.

Around a third of Thais oppose it. The survey was conducted prior to the ruling. Same-sex marriage is not legal in Singapore, and its parliament amended the constitution last year to prevent legal challenges to the definition of marriage. Taiwan is the only place in Asia where same-sex marriage is legal. In a handful of places in Asia, majorities oppose legal same-sex marriage. Though different places have vastly different religious demographics, the religiously unaffiliated tend to be among the most likely to support same-sex marriage.

In the six places where enough religiously unaffiliated individuals were surveyed to analyze their responses separately, half or more of the religiously unaffiliated support legal same-sex marriage. Meanwhile, Muslims and Christians are often, but not always, among the least likely to support it. For instance, while roughly six-in-ten religiously unaffiliated Singaporeans favor same-sex marriage, fewer than a third of Christians and Muslims do.

In Indonesia and Malaysia, the two Muslim-majority places surveyed, Muslims report the lowest support for same-sex marriage of any religious group in any place surveyed. Across most places surveyed, younger adults are more likely than their older counterparts to support same-sex marriage. In five places surveyed, women are more likely than men to support legal same-sex marriage.