These cases exemplify violations of artistic freedom in which artists face consequences because of actual or assumed sexual orientation, gender identity and expression.

Over the years, Freemuse has been monitoring an alarming trend in which artists who through their artistic work or otherwise express their personal identity as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or intersex (LGBTI) or publicly advocate for the rights of these communities are subject to censorship, threats, and harassment and in the most severe cases, to physical attacks which sometimes result in death.

Legal prosecution of artists who are vocal or take an action in public to raise issues of discrimination on SOGIE grounds is also common violation Freemuse documents both in countries which criminalise homosexuality and in those where homosexuality is legal. Artworks which tackle SOGIE issues are often associated with ‘indecency’ and ‘insult of religion’ and subject to censorship for allegedly being blasphemous, pornographic, or satanic.