DIVIDED STATES: Sodomy is still illegal in 20 US states. In six of these - Arkansas, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Texas and Oklahoma - the law applies only to homosexual acts. In 12 other US states, however, there are progressive anti-discrimination laws. ⁴

FREE SPEECH: Freedom of association and expression are denied gays and lesbians via anti-propaganda laws, censorship and other discriminatory bans and practices. Recent examples include Britain, Romania, Kuwait, Lebanon. ²

PARENTING: Legal recognition of non-biological parents exists in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Netherlands and Norway. ²

DJ CLARK / PANOS PICTURES

HARASSMENT: Violent attacks or harassment of sexual minorities and aids activists have been reported in 19 countries since 1994. Severe police harassment has been reported in 18 countries.²

ASYLUM: Sexual minority people from 37 different countries have been granted asylum in 18 countries, but applications are usually refused.²

CONSENT: At least 47 countries have an equal age of consent for gays and heterosexuals.²

RELATIONSHIPS: Around 2% of the world's women and 4% of men live exclusively as homosexuals. Legal recognition of same-sex partnerships exists in Denmark, France, Hungary, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Greenland, Quebec (Canada) and Vermont (US).²

MURDER: Brazil holds the record for murder of sexual minorities: 1,600 died 1980-97 with only 5 per cent of killers going to trial.³

SEX CHANGE: Gender reassignment is illegal in Portugal, Iran, Ghana, Slovenia, Albania, Macedonia.⁵

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT: Iran, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia are known to have executed homosexuals for their sexuality during the past decade.²

REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS: Lesbians and single women have a right to use state donor insemination services in the Netherlands, Finland, Greece, Spain and the Australian state of Tasmania.²

HOOLIGANISM: China prosecutes gays and lesbians under 'hooliganism' laws.

TRANSGENDER: Australia has specific protection from discrimination for transgendered people.²

ADOPTION: Same-sex couples have been allowed to adopt children in South Africa, Australia, Belgium, Netherlands, Britain and Canada.²

DOCUMENTS: Transgendered people in Turkey, the Ukraine and Aotearoa /NZ, can have official documents reflecting their gender choice; those in Britain cannot.²

WORK: Gays and lesbians are banned from the armed forces in Japan, Belarus, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Turkey, Argentina, Brazil, Peru and Venezuela.²

EQUALITY: Fiji did have a clause prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation written into its constitution - like Ecuador and South Africa - but this was removed.² Switzerland has a 'lifestyle' clause.