Countries where bestiality is legal but same-sex marriage isn’t
(Photo: WPTZ NewsChannel 5 / Youtube)
The world is definitely a weird place at times: While many countries don’t allow their citizens to marry the person they love, bestiality remains legal in many of them.
Earlier this month a man who is best known for having sex with a dolphin made headlines after insisting that he is definitely heterosexual.
Malcolm J. Brenner, a man who gained fame after he went public with his account of having sex with “Dolly”, recently clarified that he is only attracted to female animals.
This story prompted a lot of questions, namely ‘but isn’t it illegal to have sex with animals?’
You would be surprised. In many countries and US states, bestiality is still legal according to international zoophile advocacy group Zeka.
A surprising number of countries do not have laws outlawing sex with animals despite many of them having laws prohibiting who you can marry.
PinkNews brings you the list of countries where it’s illegal to marry your same-sex partner, but perfectly legal to have sex with an animal, otherwise known as bestiality.
1. Japan
In 2017 a gorilla became a surprising meme after hundreds of people flocked to see him because of his ‘handsome’ looks.
While we’re not implying that any of these visitors would want to have sex with the gorilla, it’s not illegal to do so.
As of 2018, Japan has no laws against bestiality, nor the sale or ownership of pornography that features animals and sexual acts.
Japan does not recognise same-sex marriage on a national basis, however, seven cities have legalised same-sex partnerships that provide some of the benefits of marriage.
The northern city of Sapporo became the first major city in Japan to issue official partnership vow papers to those who wish to enter a legal same-sex union in 2017.
2. Cuba
The constitution of Cuba explicitly prohibits same-sex marriage or formal same-sex unions in the Caribbean state.
In 2015, the daughter of President Raúl Castro held several unofficial same-sex weddings as part of a gay rights protest and has continued to campaign for an amendment to the constitution.
There is no mention of bestiality in the Cuban constitution, and Cuba does not currently outlaw having sex with animals.
3. Russia
Russia’s lack of acceptance of same-sex marriage might not be a surprise to many people.
Despite having laws banning gay “propaganda”, Russia currently has no laws outlawing sex between humans and animals.
Russia’s infamous anti-gay legislation, which prohibits “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relationships” towards minors, has been condemned by the European Court of Human Rights.
The law has been blamed for the doubling of homophobic hate crime in Russia since 2013.
According to these laws, gay people have “non-traditional sexual relationships” but bestiality is okay. Alright then.
4. Chile
Chile is another country which has not yet banned sex between humans and animals but maintains a ban on same-sex marriage.
Same-sex couples in Chile have been able to enter into civil unions, which grant similar rights as marriages, since 2015.
President Bachelet said earlier this year in her State of the Union address that she would send a bill to the Chilean Congress in the second half of 2017, with the aim of passing marriage equality.
As of 2018, this is yet to have happened.
5. Hungary
The laws on bestiality are slightly more vague in Hungary, where same-sex marriage and many protections for LGBT people are banned.
Though some sources report that bestiality is banned in Hungary under laws criminalising unnatural acts, it is not specifically outlawed.
However, same-sex marriage has been banned in the central European country since 2012.
6. Romania
In Romania, there is no legal recognition at all for same-sex couples, with proposals to introduce civil unions near-unanimously rejected in 2013 by the country’s Senate.
But it continues to be legal to have sex with animals in the country, with the country’s penal code failing to criminalise the act.
According to the BBC, Romania and Hungary are two of three EU countries who are yet to ban bestiality.
Finland is the only other European country which has not yet outlawed bestiality, but the Nordic country began to perform same-sex marriages in 2017.
7. The Philippines
The Philippines is one of the most LGBT-friendly countries in Asia, with a 2014 poll finding that 73 percent of Filipinos believe homosexuality should be accepted.
In 2017 President Rodrigo Duterte showed his support for same-sex marriage, though this may be taken with a pinch of salt.
Duterte has previously made multiple controversial comments, including a claim that if criminals are sent to prison, they become “beyond reform” because they “would have acquired latent homosexuality”.
As of 2018, there are no laws against bestiality in the Philippines.
It is illegal to make or sell any pornography in the Philippines under a 2008 law, but ownership is not criminalised.
The law does not mention whether it is illegal to own pornography featuring animals.
