LGBTQI+ Communities
LGBTQI+ communities have historically experienced several forms of social exclusion and discrimination. While the situation nowadays differs notably from one cultural context to another, the social exclusion of LGBTQI+ persons has often been justified on religious grounds, as sexual and gender non-conformity has been deemed incompatible with religious mores. LGBTQI+ communities all over the world have consequently often stood in a strenuous relationship with dominant religious establishments in particular. Attitudes towards LGBTQI+ persons vary decisively between Finland, Ghana, India, and Peru. While a fair amount of research exists on LGBTQI+ and religion in Western contexts, less is known about the situation in most other parts of the world and research combining and comparing several contexts is rare.
In Finland, LGBTQI+ rights are firmly established, with a large portion of the population being positively disposed towards the community. Polarizing tendencies have nevertheless made the broader social inclusion of LGBTQI+ persons the subject of continued public debate.
General attitudes have also become gradually more accepting in especially India, but also in Peru. In both countries, however, LGBTQI+ communities have only recently started to gain firmer legal recognition and still face several forms of social exclusion due to homophobic prejudice (including religiously motivated), such as limited access to employment, housing, healthcare, and living with continued threats of violence.
Ghana provides a starker contrast in that the country is marked by strongly negative attitudes towards LGBTQI+ persons (Anna et al. 2017). Same-sex sexual acts remain illegal and further draconian anti-LGBTQI+ legislation has recently been proposed. The Ghanaian LGBTQI+ community thus faces numerous and severe forms of social exclusion, including legal non-acceptance, continued threats of violence and forced “conversion” therapies, and difficulties in accessing healthcare and housing due to widespread prejudice against them. In addition, negative attitudes towards the community are frequently encouraged by mainstream media and religious and political leaders alike.
