LGBTQ+ rights in Asia: Progress and setbacks in 2023
There have been gains and setbacks on LGBTQIA+ rights in Asia this year, ranging from the first same-sex marriages in Nepal to South Korea’s decision to uphold a ban on gay relations in the military.
From Afghanistan and Malaysia to the Maldives, gay sex remains a crime, according to a 2023 report by the Human Dignity Trust, a rights group.
Here is a look at developments in Asia in 2023. India The country’s Supreme Court declined to legalise same-sex marriage in October, dealing a blow to the hopes of LGBTQIA+ couples five years after the end of a colonial-era ban on gay sex.
The court deferred the decision to parliament, agreeing with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government that the legislature is the right forum to rule on the contentious issue. Nepal The Himalayan country’s Supreme Court issued an interim order allowing same-sex marriage in June, and registered its first gay marriage in November.
