50年代，同性性交几乎在任何地方都是非法的。世界各地的同性恋人群偷偷摸摸地恐惧度日。往前的跳跃快得令人吃惊。今日的同性性交在至少113个国家是合法的。在西方的大多数（地区），恐同不再是社会上可接受的。中国的同性生活现在既是合法的，而且在城市，也是毫不掩饰的。拉丁美洲甚至更加同性又好。74%的阿根廷人和60%的巴西人相信社会应该接受同性恋。南非的宪法出乎意料地亲同性。
In the 1950s, gay sex [was] illegal /in/ nearly everywhere. All around the world, gay people lived /in/ furtive[ly] and in fear. The leap forward [has been] startlingly quick. Today gay sex is legal in at least 113 countries. In most of the West, it is no longer socially acceptable to be homophobic. China's gay life is now both legal and in cities, undisguised. Latin America is even more gay friendly. 74% of Argentines and 60% of Brazilians believe [that] society should accept homosexuality. South Africa's constitution is remarkably pro-gay.
然而世界依旧有些部分当同性恋是不安全的。法外打击和谋杀在非洲大部分地区和一些穆斯林国家令人讶异地常见。在一些国家迫害已经加剧。乍得准备好禁止同性性交。尼日利亚和乌干达已经通过龙式苛刻反同性恋法律。俄罗斯和少数其他国家已经禁止了同性恋宣传。
Yet there are some parts of the world where it is unsafe[not safe] to be gay[/homosexual]. Extra-judicial beatings and murders are depressingly common in most[/much] of Africa and [in] some Muslim countries. Persecution has intensified in some countries. Chad is poised to ban gay sex. Nigeria and Uganda have passed draconian anti-gay laws. Russia and a few other countries have barred the promotion of homosexuality.
尽管如此，还是存在乐观的理由，至少从长期而言。都市化有所帮助。比起人人都知道你情况的存在，在一个大型的匿名都市找到一个称心生活更容易。印度乡下的同性生活依旧糟糕，在孟买或德里则简单得多，尽管还是不合法。亚洲和拉丁美洲的新生国家普遍随着变得更有钱、更开放和更民主而变得对同性恋人群更友善。虽然宗教是容忍的一道障碍，一个社会更加虔诚，从总体看，它对同性权益就越不热衷。主动力将会是同性恋人群自身。他们越是明显，他们看上去就越正常。这些日子，75%的美国人说他们拥有同性恋朋友或同事，相比之下1985年只有24%。
Nonetheless, there are reasons to be optimistic, at least in the long term. Urbanisation helps. It is easier to find a niche in a big, anonymous city than in a village where everyone knows our business. Gay life in [the] Indian countryside is still awful, but [it is] much easier in Mumbai or Delhi, despite [being] illegal. Emerging countries in Asia and Latin American have generally become[/grown] kinder to gay people as they have grown richer, more open and more democratic. Although religion is a barrier [to] tolerance. The more poise a society is, by and large, the less [enthusiastic] it is [about] gay rights. The prime movers will be gay people themselves。 The more visible they are, the more normal they [will] seem. These days, 75% of Americans say they have gay friends or colleagues, up from only 24% in 1985.
