A global perspective of religious influences on state-sponsored homophobia

Abstract

This study presents a quantitative overview of the influences of Abrahamitic religions and non-Abrahamitic religions on the presence of state sponsored homophobia. Over the period of 2006-2017, 208 states are evaluated utilizing logit regression with fixed effects. A total of 56 regressions are run, and broken down into eight models containing different combinations of three control groups. Each model contains 7 regressions, representing every combination of the percents of the population who are adherents to Islam, adherents to Abrahamitic religions, and adherents to non-Abrahamitic religions. Results suggest that Islam is a significant factor in a state having state sponsored homophobia laws. An analysis of all Abrahamitic religions, collectively, has mixed results. The situations in which it shows significance indicate that Islam is the prevailing factor within the religion family. Non-Abrahamitic religions support a higher likelihood of a state having state sponsored homophobia laws, albeit not as high of a likelihood as Islam.