Almost 400 global religious leaders, including anti-apartheid campaigner Desmond Tutu and Britain's Bishop of Liverpool, called on Wednesday for countries to overturn bans on same-sex relations and end LGBT+ conversion therapy.

People participate in the Zagreb Pride Ride in support of LGBTQ groups in Zagreb, Croatia, on July 4. Photo:  Xinhua

Sixty-nine United Nations member states still outlaw gay sex, according to the 2020 State-Sponsored Homophobia report released by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA World) on Tuesday. 

Only Brazil, Ecuador, Malta and Germany have instituted forms of nationwide bans on conversion therapy, which aims to alter a person's sexual orientation or gender identity.

Organized by the Ozanne Foundation charity, the declaration has been signed by faith leaders from 35 countries, including representatives of the world's main religions, and former Irish president Mary McAleese, a prominent member of the Roman Catholic Church. The announcement, which marks the launch of the Global Interfaith Commission on LGBT+ Lives, will be made on Wednesday at a virtual conference of global faith representatives funded by Britain's foreign ministry. Wendy Morton, Britain's junior foreign minister, told Reuters that the declaration marked "an important step towards equality."
Newspaper headline: World leaders call for ban on LGBT+ conversion