[jimmyk]

>being gay is illegal in many places.

Is that true? Or is it the behavior that's illegal?

[wybiral]

...It's legal to think about murder as long as you don't behave that way. That doesn't mean murder is legal.

Is there a reason for the distinction?

[bzbarsky]

> ...It's legal to think about murder as long as you don't behave that way.

Sort of. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1117 ("conspiracy to commit murder") only requires one person to take action and everyone in the group that did the thinking with them is guilty of a crime. This is in the US, but I would be quite surprised if various other countries did not have similar statutes.

More generally, there are all sorts of laws out there that effectively criminalize thoughtcrime rather than behavior. Of course behavior might be needed for anyone to _discover_ the thoughtcrime.

[treyfitty]

I think what you're trying to ask is: Is being labeled gay grounds for imprisonment? Or does one have to be caught in the act of fornicating with a male to be imprisoned? I'm sure it depends on the jurisdiction, but many jurisdictions that have this kind of explicit law usually frowns upon homosexuality so much, that the mere accusation is enough to be damaging.

[jimmyk]

What I'm asking is more like, if the government microphone in your potted plant hears you coming out as gay to your friends, would that be grounds for criminal punishment?

[__jal]

> Or does one have to be caught in the act of fornicating with a male [...]

I think your definition needs some work.

[acchow]

Can you explain why and how you think these are different?

[jimmyk]

They're pretty obviously different. One is a characteristic of a person, and one is an action that can be taken by a person.