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To understand how gay rights vary around the world, Business Insider created a set of maps that visualize which countries have legalized gay marriage and the countries where gay people can still be put to death, among other questions.
The results show that while homosexuality is no longer outlawed in the majority of the world, there's still a long way to go in terms of acceptance and equality for LGBTQ people.
Religion is an un-ignorable factor in the maps. While the majority of the world has legalized homosexuality, the countries where it is still outlawed are concentrated in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Africa — areas with majority-Muslim nations.
According to the Associated Press, "Islamic scholars overwhelmingly teach that same-gender sex is a sin."
The Quran teaches that homosexuality should be punished but doesn't detail how. The Prophet Muhammad is alleged to have been more explicit that homosexuals should be killed in some of his teachings. That's why some countries that implement sharia law (rules based on Islamic teachings) make homosexuality a capital crime.
In some countries where homosexuality is legal, there are still several laws in place that make living openly difficult.
In Russia for example, a federal law passed in 2013 makes it illegal to distribute "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations." The country also makes it difficult for sexual orientation-related non-governmental organizations to operate in the country.
Under the 2012 foreign agent law, all organizations that receive any sort of funding from abroad must register as a foreign agent or else be fined.
Same-sex couples largely aren't allowed to adopt outside of the Americas and Europe.
South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand are exceptions to the rule.
Joint adoption means a same-sex couple can adopt a child together. Second-parent adoption means that one member of a same-sex couple can adopt their partner's child (such as when one member of a lesbian couple gives birth).
Though it's too small to show up on the map, the Mediterranean island nation of Malta has also banned conversion therapies, in addition to Brazil and Ecuador.
