A new study produced by travel website, Asher & Lyric, has created the LGBTQ Danger Index; a ranking of the 150 countries with the most international tourists based on their safety for LGBTQ people.
The study looked at eight factors including same-sex marriage rights, worker protections, discrimination protections, criminalization of violence, adoption recognition, illegal same-sex relationships and propaganda/morality laws.
It also took into account the results of Gallup’s ‘Is It A Good Place To Live?’ poll, which asked local people if they think the area they live in is a good place for LGBTQ people.
“Instead of relying on hearsay and anecdotes from other travelers, we took a deep look at LGBTQ rights country by country,” Asher & Lyric said of the study. “We’ve gathered data from a variety of trusted international sources to create an LGBTQ Danger Index that will help you find the worst (and safest) countries for LGBTQ travel.”
The study found that the safest place for LGBTQ people to visit is Norway, followed by Portugal in second place and Belgium in third place. These were the only three countries to receive an A-grade safety ranking.
The United Kingdom came in at fourth place, with a safety ranking of B+, while the United States somewhat surprisingly ranked 24th on the list with a safety ranking of C+. This is likely due to a lack of universal discrimination protections.
See the top 20 safest countries to be LGBTQ below.
1. Norway
2. Portugal
3. Belgium
4. United Kingdom
5. Finland
6. France
7. Canada
8. Spain
9. Sweden
10. Malta
11. New Zealand
12. Netherlands
13. Denmark
14. South Africa
15. Ireland
16. Australia
17. Uruguay
18. Iceland
19. Colombia
20. Austria
The study also highlighted the most dangerous countries to visit for LGBTQ safety, and the results aren’t exactly surprising if you follow the progress of LGBTQ rights around the world.
Nigeria was ranked as the worst place for LGBTQ safety, due to the prospect of 14 years in prison or the death penalty for homosexuality, as well as the criminalization of LGBTQ rights discussions. Qatar came in second, and Yemen in third.
See the 20 most dangerous countries for LGBTQ people below.
1. Nigeria
2. Qatar
3. Yemen
4. Saudi Arabia
5. Tanzania
6. Iran
7. Sudan
8. Barbados
9. Malaysia
10. Malawi
11. Zambia
12. Saint Lucia
13. Uganda
14. Pakistan
15. West Bank & Gaza
16. Kenya
17. Maldives
18. Jamaica
19. Ethiopia
20. Egypt
Following the results of the study, Asher & Lyric have warned LGBTQ tourists to avoid some of the most popular holiday destinations.
“There are some places on the planet where it’s perfectly ordinary to kiss or hold hands with a same-sex partner in public, but in other places, that action could result in fines, imprisonment, hard labor, whipping, or, in some cases, death,” they said. “Those looking for trans- and gay-travel-safe countries should reconsider popular vacation destinations like Malaysia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Myanmar, and Egypt as well as some of the more popular beaches in the Caribbean, like Saint Lucia and Barbados.”
Are we surprised?
This shouldn’t news to us na.
Besides, what right-thinking tourist would leave every beautiful spot on Earth and choose to come to Nigeria. Isi adichakwa onye ahu mma?
Na ojoro
The researcher is a Jamaican lol
?????
It’s not funny, really. But your comment though.
How did Jamaica be ranked 18th?
Reports from that country are usually eerie. I’m not saying Nigeria may not deserve the top spot but how did Jamaica pull the stunt?
* let’s throw in a bunch of African and Middle East countries and call it a day *
You’d think the nutcase who went berserk and murdered 50 people in Orlando never happened .
You’d think there are not many serial killers on the prowl who target people of specific gender , race and sexuality in these developed countries ..
But of course let’s dump it all in Africa .
Not saying Nigeria ain’t shitty but what credible assessment was used to come up with this ” grandiose” list ?
Then again , what is surprising …
The same way some bunch of lunatics released a list the other day saying Beyonce and Bella abi Gigi Hadid are the top 2 most beautiful women in the world – a world where Aishwarya Rai still lives and breathes.
Heck , I know a bunch of girls (in my street) who are way prettier than Beyonce ,but that’s a story for another day.
Take this list seriously at your own peril .?
Wait a minute, so South Africa is in the top 20 safest countries ,and the United States of America is not??? Go figure. Speaks volumes about what Donald Trump has done to America.
After this emerging facts, someone will be calling someone internally homophobic because he don’t want his pikin to be gay??? Mo sorry, but mi o sorry
Uganda’s not going to be happy about their position on the shit list. But makes me shudder to think what next they’ll do to bump up their “homophobic cred”.
Tueh! Even Uganda and that bee hive, Saudi Arabia, ranked better. I’m ashamed.
Thank God I’m from Canada