In 2015, a man named Joe Sevese was found guilty of "indecent practises between males" and sentenced to two years imprisonment. Attempts to commit the act are subjected to imprisonment for up to seven years, while "indecent practises between males" can be punishable with three years. Same-sex sexual activity between men comes with a prison sentence of up to 14 years. Sexual penetration by a man to another man has been labelled "against the order of nature" under the "unnatural offences" section of the code.
Men in Papua New Guinea can be criminalised for same-sex sexual activity under the nation's Criminal Code 1974. New legislation is expected to be tabled this coming October, which would officially abolish the penalty for good. In response, Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah extended a moratorium on the penalty - which has remained in place since. International outrage over Brunei's Syariah Penal Code - specifically the code's same-sex death penalty - erupted in 2019, with celebrities like George Clooney and Ellen DeGeneres leading protests. If an unmarried man has sex with another man, he can be whipped with 100 stokes, as witnessed by a group of Muslims, and sentenced to one year in jail.Ī woman who has sex with other women can be fined B$40,000, whipped 40 times and sent to prison for 10 years. If a man is married and found to be having sex with another man, he can be sentenced to death by stoning, with the penal code stating the stoning should be witnessed by a group of Muslims.
Clause 198 of the code states that men who “dress and pose” as a woman or vice versa can be fined between B$1,000 and B$3,000 and be jailed for up to one year. “Buggery” has a penalty of 14 years in jail.īoth men and women can be criminally prosecuted in Brunei for same-sex relations.īrunei’s Syariah Penal Code Order 2013 - a new code that went into effect in 2019 - includes provisions that specifically target transgender and gender-diverse individuals.
The act or attempted act of “gross indecency” with an individual of the same sex is punishable with up to five years imprisonment. The laws, however, appear to have been predominantly obsolete in practice over the past 15 or so years. The nation’s 1996 penal code uses derogatory and stigmatising terms to criminalise these acts, referring to them as acts of “buggery,” “gross indecency,” “unnatural offences” and “indecent practices.” The Soloman Islands criminalises same-sex marriage, sex between two men and sex between two women. "Buggery” holds a 14-year prison sentence for men and women while “indecent practices between males” has five years. "Any person who commits buggery (anal sex) with another person … or permits a male person to commit buggery with him or her, shall be guilty of a felony, and shall be liable to imprisonment,” the Tuvalu Penal Code reads. There are no laws criminalising sexual activity between women nor laws restricting the discussion of LGBTQ+ topics.
While same-sex relations between men are forbidden, there is little to suggest that Tuvalu’s leaders hold anyone accountable in instances where the law is breached. The nation also has no system to protect or support LGBTQ+ individuals in the aftermath of hate crimes. Tuvalu, a country of just 11,000, has outlawed same-sex marriage and sex between men. LGBTQ+ people are criminalised and punished in many cases the language used in penal codes is outdated and offensive and members of the community face discrimination and homophobia on a daily basis. Still, some similarities exist across the region.