June is recognized in more than 100 countries in the world as “Pride Month,” marking 55 years since gay liberation marches began commemorating the Stonewall riots – a pivotal uprising against the police’s targeting of LGBTQ+ communities in New York. Here’s a look at where LGBTQ+ rights stand today:
47%: A recent poll of more than two dozen countries in Europe, the Americas, and Asia found that openness towards LGBTQ+ communities has dipped in recent years, with the proportion of people who believe LGBTQ+ people should be open about their sexual orientation or gender identity falling 8 percentage points, to 47%, since 2021.
1.3 million: The US government on Tuesday ordered the closure of the Trevor Project, a national suicide prevention hotline for LGBTQ+ youth, which has served more than 1.3 million people since it was established in 2022. The official announcement omitted the “T” for transgender – a sign of the administration’s broader anti-transgender push.
61: As of 2024, 61 countries have laws criminalizing same-sex relations, with 7 countries – Yemen, Uganda, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Mauritania, Iran, Brunei– still imposing the death penalty for such acts.
9.3%: The percentage of U.S. adults who identify as LGBTQ+ has increased significantly since 2020, rising from 5.6% to 9.3%, according to a Gallup poll last year. The main driver of this growth is younger generations: more than one in five Gen Z adults now identify as LGBTQ+.
10: Since 2020, 10 countries have moved to recognize same-sex marriage, with Liechtenstein and Thailand legalizing it earlier this year. Still, only 38 countries out of 195 countries have legalized same-sex marriage—see our graphic here.
1: There has only ever been one openly transgender member of the US Congress: Rep. Sarah McBride (D-DE) became the first after winning her seat last November.
