Signs of hope for LGBT community

Angola has decriminalised homosexuality – 133 years after the passage banning same-sex relationships was included in the country's penal code. The so-called ‘vices against nature’ provision in its law was used to jail gays. The reform has been hailed by human rights activists who have been pushing for equal rights for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community in Angola and other African countries. Parliamentarians who voted to overhaul the criminal statute books didn't just remove the passage. They also banned discrimination based on sexual orientation. Associacao Iris Angola, an organisation advocating for LGBT rights, has welcomed the move but notes that ‘much more is needed to protect homosexuals’. Its head, Carlos Fernandes, said four members of the LGBT community have been killed in the past three years. ‘I think there's now a legal framework to go after homophobic crimes,’ he told Deutsche Welle. Human Rights Watch said there were signs that other countries in the region were poised to decriminalise homosexuality ‘and they haven't faced much backlash within society as a result’. In addition, other African nations such as Kenya and Botswana are fighting against the legal discrimination of homosexuals in court.

Full report on the allAfrica site