The fight for LGBTQ+ rights has been a long one, but it’s been making huge strides lately. There are currently 28 countries around the world that have legalized same-sex marriage equality. This number is constantly changing as more and more countries begin to recognize the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals.
The first country to legalize same-sex marriage was The Netherlands in 2001, followed by Belgium in 2003, Canada in 2005 and South Africa in 2006. Since then, countries such as Argentina, Colombia and Taiwan have also legalized same-sex marriage equality.
In the United States, same-sex marriage was legalized in 2015. Since then, many states have passed laws against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. As of 2019, there are 49 states that prohibit employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and 41 states that prohibit employment discrimination based on gender identity.
The following countries have legalized same-sex marriage: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland (Republic), Ireland (Republic), Luxembourg (Grand Duchy), Malta (Republic), Mexico (Federal District), New Zealand (Aotearoa), Norway (Kingdom), Portugal (Portugal), South Africa (Republic), Spain (Kingdom), Sweden (Kingdom) and The Netherlands (Kingdom).
