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A demonstrator holds a poster with the portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin during a protest march against the new Russian gay law, in Berlin, Germany in August 2013. (AP / GERO BRELOER)There are 77 countries that criminalize homophobia, according to the United Nations; seven of those implement the death penalty. Russia has recently been in the spotlight for its anti-gay laws, and Uganda's anti-gay bill has been widely covered, as has the fact that American evangelical activism was an influence in the decision to harshly punish gay Ugandans. A proposed anti-gay law in Arizona was struck down by Gov. Jan Brewer in February, but a previous discriminatory bill that targeted undocumented immigrants cost the state $140 million in revenue.
Ethiopia is another nation where homosexuality is a crime, often with devastating consequences. Today in The Boston Globe, Maria Sacchetti wrote about a 19-year-old Ethiopian man who is facing deportation in Boston after losing his student visa, but who maintains that his life would be put in jeopardy if sent back home. The State Department said that gays in Ethiopia face jail time, abuse and interrogation.
More: What Homophobia Costs a Country's Economy - the Wire