Director & Mediator
Family Law in Partnership
It’s hard to believe in 2025 that consensual sex between same-sex individuals is still criminalised in a third of the world and there are countries which retain the death penalty.
An exciting and informative international guide of the laws affecting the LGBTQ+ community has been published by the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL) with contributions from specialist family lawyers across the globe. The guide includes contributions from 56 legal jurisdictions, including several within Africa and the Middle East.
Each contributor was asked the same set of questions covering topics including the legality of same-sex relationships and gender identity (including legal penalties), relationship status and marriage, as well as parenting.
Whilst there are some bright spots with proper equality before the law for LGBTQ+ individuals, progress is still slow and in parts of the world there has been a worrying regression. For example, in 2021, a Bill titled, “Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill” was presented before Ghana’s 8th Parliament. The primary objective of this Bill was to explicitly outlaw activities associated with LGBTQ+ identities and related practices, including gender identity and gender-affirming treatments.
FLiP director, David Allison, Chairs the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Committee (SOGI) of IAFL. He launched the guide at the IAFL’s Annual General Meeting in Kenya, where homosexuality is currently illegal and punishable by 14 years in prison.
He says:
“There is no other guide on this topic that provides expert insight from the very people who act for clients in these cases, in their own words. It will be an invaluable resource for many.
We intend for this guide to be a living resource, which is updated regularly to reflect changes in the law, and we want to find contributors in more countries. Please do get in touch if you are willing to contribute or know of suitably qualified people who can provide information about jurisdictions which are not included in the guide.”
As IAFL President, Rachel Kelsey says:
“IAFL supports all efforts towards full equality of the LGBTQ+ community throughout the world, and the end to rules that discriminate against such individuals and their families. There remains a lot of work to be done and this Guides is part of our contribution.”
You can access the guide at: www.iafl.com/news-blog/2025/sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity-guide/
In Kenya David worked with the National Association of Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission based in Nairobi on a press release for IAFL. The press release was issued at the General Meeting calling for the elimination of laws that unfairly discriminate against LGBTQ+ citizenry and criminalize countless couples in Kenya. You can find that release at https://www.iafl.com/news-blog/2025/statement-in-support-of-lgtbq-kenyans-refugees-and-asylum-seekers\
Read more articles by Family Law in Partnership.
About David Allison
David specialises in financial claims on divorce, especially cases with an international element. He has extensive experience in cases where jurisdiction is an issue and those which involve claims for financial relief after an overseas divorce. He is also well known for his work for cohabitants, same sex couples, and civil partners. You can find out more about his work here.