Vacation Plans - Avoid Iran, Uganda, Saudi Arabia & Belize?

Most folks know how dangerous it is to be LGBT in countries like Uganda where lawmakers are constantly trying to pass a law proscribing the death penalty for "aggravated homosexuality".  Iran recently hanged three men for the crime of "lavat" or sex between men.  Considering the sex in question was consensual it is particularly disturbing news.  And Saudi Arabia, well it's no surprise that being gay there is not a good thing, but Belize?  The sleepy little coastal Central American nation has long been a tourist destination for US travelers, however a little research shows that Belize criminalizes homosexuality.

In an interview in the Guardian, Belize Minister of Works, Anthony "Boots" Martinez is quoted as saying:

"My position is that God never placed anything on me for me to look at a man and jump on a man. I'll be clear on it … How would you decriminalise that, I am sorry, but that is law. Not only is the law made by man, that is a law made from the Bible. Why you think God made a man and a woman, man has what woman wants, and woman has what man wants, it's as simple as that. I'll fight tooth and nail to keep that law."

 So next time you think about spending some time on the beach, consider Key West or South Beach.