Last week I posted a list of the legal age of consent for homosexuals in the countries of Europe. Since then, I have received e-mail from several people who asked me to post similar information for other parts of the world. So I am posting the information I have about countries in Asia, Africa and the Americas. I got this information from a danish gay magazine. They usually publish accurate information, but I have no way of confirming their information. According to the article, the information was compiled in cooperation with ILGA, the International Lesbian & Gay Association. Along with the information for the various countries, I am posting some additional info that was published along with the lists. Any errors in translation from danish are entirely my fault. Below is the information for the Americas Countries in North-, Central and South-America ---------------------------------------------- General info: In the US, the individual states decide the legal status of homo- sexuality. In approximately half the states (e.g. New York and California) homosexual relations between males is allowed, but with an age of consent ranging between 18 and 21. In some states (e.g. Florida and Washington D.C.) this is not illegal, but anal intercourse (sodomy) is illegal. In the rest of the states homo- sexual relations are entirely forbidden. It is very rare that cases are actually brought to court, unless they involve minors or non-consenting adults. It is a general misconception that USA is a paradise for gays, where anything is legal. The facts are very different: The legislation is tougher and more restricting than in Europe, and the string influence of the churches in several states block the passing of decent legislation. This has been a major factor in the forming of large 'ghettos' of gays in San Francisco and New York. There are only a few countries in Latin America where homosexuality is directly forbidden by law. In several countries, homosexuality is not mentioned at all in the law. In most countries, sexual relation- ships between men are quite common, and there is no discrimination despite the strong influence of the catholic church. In Latin America the church has more than enough to do fighting poverty, hunger and various military dictatorships rather than fighting gays. Before Fidel Castro took over, Cuba was a paradise to gays, but Castro has managed to kill the gay scene entirely. Still, there are reports of the guys in Havana if you know the country and speak their language. Surprisingly, Nicaragua is generally very friendly toward gays, and the guys are often quite handsome and interested. [Note: This was written before the recent anti-gay legislation]. Mexico is also a nice place for gays - Acapulco and Mexico City are very hot. The islands of Haiti and the Dominican Republic used to be favourite holiday resorts for gays touring the Caribbean. Regrettable, AIDS has ruined all of this and you are best advised to forget all about them. Generally, condoms can be bought everywhere, but still you are advised to bring your favorite brand with you when you leave home. It may take some time to find a place where you can buy them. The level of knowledge about safe sex is not very high, so be prepared to spread the good news. Country Legal age of consent -------------------------------------------- Antigua-Barbuda 21 Argentina not mentioned in the law Aruba 16 Bahamas illegal Barbados illegal, but common Belize not mentioned in the law Brazil not mentioned in the law, very common Canada 18 [for more info, see the thread on 'Age of Consent'] Chile illegal, but it happens Colombia not mentioned in the law Costa Rica not mentioned in the law, but common Cuba illegal, but common Dominican Republic not mentioned in the law Equador illegal, but it happens Grenada illegal Guyana illegal Haiti legal Honduras not mentioned in the law, common Jamaica Illegal Mexico legal, common Dutch Antilles 16 Nicaragua not mentioned in the law, very common Panama not mentioned in the law Paraguay not mentioned in the law Peru legal, common Puerto Rico illegal, but very common Surinam 18 Trinidad-Tobago illegal, but very common Uruguay not mentioned in the law Venezuela not mentioned in the law -- Henrik Storner (storner@olivetti,dk / storner@diku.dk) Tech. Support Olivetti Denmark.