Lawmakers in Gambia recently passed a bill that would increase the country's punishment for some homosexual acts to life imprisonment, reports the Associated Press.

The bill, which reportedly contains language similar to Uganda's struck-down anti-gay law, now awaits the approval of Gambia President Yahya Jammeh, who's been openly hostile to the LGBT community in the past. In 2008, he demanded gays and lesbians leave the country or risk having their heads cut off. In February, Jammeh said on state television, "We will fight these vermins called homosexuals or gays the same way we are fighting malaria-causing mosquitoes, if not more aggressively."

While the actions and comments of Gambia's leaders are shocking, they are far from alone in the world. Dozens of countries still outlaw homosexuality and some punish gays and lesbians with death. This map from Equaldex shows the lay of the law around the world:



Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2014/09/08/3668019_gambia-lawmakers-pass-bill-to.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy

As the map indicates, the bulk of legal hostility toward LGBT people takes place across the Middle East and Africa. In Iran, Afghanistan, and Mauritania in particular, sexual minorities can even be killed for their orientation. But the map doesn't tell the whole story; it excludes, for example, Russia's anti-LGBT law, which prohibits the dissemination of what the Russian government vaguely calls "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relationships" to minors.

Equaldex also has interactive maps that break down LGBT rights further, including marriage, ability to serve in the military, and more. It's worth checking out all the maps on the full website.