Anti-LGBTQ+ laws are impeding elimination of Aids, UN says

In countries that criminalise gay sex, HIV infection rates are higher and access to lifesaving drugs and services are denied

Anti-homosexuality laws stop people from accessing lifesaving health services and seriously impede progress on eliminating HIV, a senior UN official has said.

Sixty-seven countries have laws that criminalise gay sex, and nearly half are in Africa, the continent most affected by HIV. In those countries, prevalence rates are about five times higher among gay men than in countries where same-sex relations are not criminalised, according to figures from UNAids.