Nestled in the mountains between China and India lies the landlocked nation of Bhutan. With a small population of less than 800,000, this Buddhist-majority country is amazing and underrated. Studying its economy in terms of GHP (Gross Happiness Index) instead of GDP and mandating 2/3 of its surface be covered by forest, it is the world's only carbon-negative nation.
On February 17th, 2021, Bhutan decriminalized same-sex sexual relations and instituted an equal age of consent for same-sex couples, prioritizing happiness for everyone, regardless of who they love. This has been a long time coming. Buddhism does not condemn same-sex relationships, stating that it does not have any role in who reaches enlightenment and going further: many scholars of Buddhism believe that respect, not tolerance, is necessary because tolerance implies a person is doing something wrong.
In 2018, Deyon Phuntsho and Tenzin Gyeltshen became the first openly-gay couple in the country and received overwhelming support. As a result, the number of people who admitted to being LGBTQ in the national census jumped from 97 in 2017 to 316 in 2019, although tens of thousands of LGBTQ people are believed to live in the country, including many transgender people.
The topic of LGBTQIA+ rights fascinates Bhutanese people, especially in the media. With a new government, the unenforced old laws banning gays sex were abolished this year. Now, Bhutanese activists are working to secure recognition for same-sex couples in the form of same-sex marriage. With this drastic wave of near-unanimous acceptance in the past few years, we could also see anti-discrimination protections, adoption, legal gender change, military service, IVF, and surrogacy over the course of this decade.
Bhutan remains quiet, growing ever more content.
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