LGBT
Only five countries give gay people equal constitutional rights
"It is crucial for constitutions to guarantee equal rights and
protection from discrimination to LGBT individuals in all spheres," she
said in a statement.
Only five countries in the world
have given lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people equal
constitutional rights, global research shows, with most countries
failing to protect the community from widespread discrimination and
abuses.
Britain, Bolivia, Ecuador, Fiji, Malta
are the only countries that give constitutional rights to people
regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity, according to
a report by global research group WORLD Policy Analysis Center (WORLD)
and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
The
report, which analysed the constitutions of all 193 countries
recognised by the United Nations, is the most comprehensive study to
date, researchers say.
Despite 22 countries
introducing same-sex marriage laws, the lack of equal constitutional
rights means LGBT people are at risk of rights violations and
discrimination, researchers said.
"While
marriage equality is an important start, it is not enough to prevent
discrimination at work, in housing or many other spheres of life," said study author Jody Heymann, founding director of WORLD and dean of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.
"It
is crucial for constitutions to guarantee equal rights and protection
from discrimination to LGBT individuals in all spheres," she said in a statement.
Most
countries' constitutions protect people regardless of sex, religion,
race or ethnicity, but do not extend the same legal protections to the
LGBT community.
The constitutions of Mexico, New
Zealand Portugal, South Africa and Sweden give equal rights to people
based on sexual orientation, but not gender identity, the report said.
Comments