The British Commonwealth is a collection of countries that used to be part of the British Empire after the UK had conquered/invaded back in the bad old days. Many of them have cut away and are now independent, but you may be shocked to know that there are still 54 ‘member countries’ within the Commonwealth.
They still consider HM Queen Elizabeth as their Head of State and many still hang onto the outdated laws that the conquering Brits had imposed on them some centuries ago.
The very worst of these is the fact that homosexuality remains
a criminal offence in 35 of the 54 sovereign states of the
Commonwealth; and legal in only 19.
If that is not bad enough, the penalties for private, consensual sexual conduct between same-sex adults remain harsh in a number of Commonwealth countries. They include 10 years imprisonment and hard labour in Jamaica, 14 years in Kenya, and 20 years plus flogging in Malaysia. A cluster of member states have a maximum sentence of life imprisonment: Bangladesh, Barbados, Guyana, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Uganda. Meanwhile, Brunei and Northern Nigeria have a maximum penalty for male homosexuality of death. In some countries such as Cameroon, arrests, and imprisonment for acts that indicate homosexuality is frequently reported. In Uganda and Nigeria, recent legislative proposals would significantly increase the penalties for homosexuality.
Whilst the Queen is the figurehead of the Commonwealth, the British Government have no power over the member countries. They have tried to ‘advise’ like in 2018 when Britain hosted the Heads of Government meeting in London. The British Prime Minister, Theresa May, said she regretted that many of the current laws across Commonwealth countries that criminalized homosexuality were a direct legacy of British colonialism; and offered to support any government that wanted to reform its legislation. But nothing happened.
If you want to know the full detailed list https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_the_Commonwealth_of_Nations
If you want to support the fight for change then contact https://www.petertatchellfoundation.org/ who have been tirelessly campaigning for change for years
Labels: 2022, British Commonwealth, homosexuality illegal
