In March, two transgender Cameroonians were arrested and subsequently sentenced to five years in prison after being found guilty of “attempted homosexuality”.

Where is homosexuality still outlawed?

There are 69 countries that have laws that criminalise homosexuality, and nearly half of these are in Africa.

However, in some countries there have been moves to decriminalise same-sex unions.

In February this year, Angola’s President Joao Lourenco signed into law a revised penal code to allow same-sex relationships and bans discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

In June last year, Gabon reversed a law that had criminalised homosexuality and made gay sex punishable with six months in prison and a large fine.

Botswana’s High Court also ruled in favour of decriminalising homosexuality in 2019.

Mozambique and the Seychelles have also scrapped anti-homosexuality laws in recent years.

But there are countries where existing laws outlawing homosexuality have been tightened, including Nigeria and Uganda.

In Nigeria, gays face up to 14 years inprisonment

In May 2019, the high court in Kenya upheld laws criminalising homosexual acts.

Colonial legacy

Many of the laws criminalising homosexual relations originate from colonial times.
British Commonlaw stipulates 14 years in prison for same-sex intercourse, a punishment which is still applied up till today in most African countries.

Out of the 53 countries in the Commonwealth – a loose association of countries most of them former British colonies – 36 have laws that criminalise homosexuality.

Countries that criminalise homosexuality today also have criminal penalties against women who have sex with women, although the original British laws applied only to men.

Some observers note that the risk of prosecution in some places is minimal.

Activist groups also say the ability of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) organisations to carry out advocacy work is being restricted.

For example, an LGBT advocacy office was forced to close down in Ghana earlier this year after massive opposition from religious groups.

Global progress

There is a global trend toward decriminalising same-sex acts.

So far, 28 countries in the world recognise same-sex marriages, and 34 others provide for some partnership recognition for same-sex couples, Ilga says.

As of December 2020, 81 countries had laws against discrimination in the workplace on the basis of sexual orientation. Twenty years ago, there were only 15.

Full list of African countries where homosexuality is outlawed:

Algeria

Burundi

Cameroon

Chad

Comoros

Egypt

Eritrea

Eswatini

Ethiopia

Gambia

Ghana

Guinea

Kenya

Liberia

Libya

Malawi

Maldives

Mauritania

Mauritius

Morocco

Namibia

Nigeria

Senegal

Sierra Leone

Somalia

South Sudan

Sudan

Tanzania

Togo

Tunisia

Uganda

Zambia

Zimbabwe

The post Homosexuality: African countries where it is illegal to be gay appeared first on AFRICA EXPLAINED.

Alex Kofi Donkor, director of LGBT+ Rights Ghana, posted a simple message on Twitter which reads: ‘Culture, Tradition & Religion can never justify the denial of human rights.’

#LOUDER #LGBTRightsGhana ❤🌺💛💚💙💜#Ghana #HumanRights #Equality #Respect #Freedom #Justic #Love #LoveIsLove pic.twitter.com/uLnAmGwbwL

— Alex Kofi Donkor 🇬🇭🏳️‍🌈 (@ahuoden) February 23, 2021

“We expected some homophobic organizations would use the opportunity to exploit the situation and stoke tension against the community, but the anti-gay hateful reaction has been unprecedented,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Although Ghana has not prosecuted anyone for same-sex relations in years, LGBT+ people face widespread discrimination and abuse across Africa.

In Nigeria, gay-sex can be punishable by up to 14 years imprisonment, and in Ghana, the punishment is three years according to the constitution.

LGBT+ Rights Ghana offers paralegal services, counseling, and training through workshops, the office is supported by international donors and charities.

The National Coalition for Proper Sexual Rights and Family Values, which brings together Christian, Muslim and traditional leaders opposed to LGBT+ rights, is among those seeking to close down the centre, along with prominent church groups.

“The Church rejects the unfounded and demeaning assumption that the sexual behaviour of homosexual persons is always and totally compulsive and, therefore, they should not be blamed for their homosexual acts,” said the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference.

“We call on the Government of Ghana to close down the LGBTQI office space that was recently opened in Accra (and) urge the Executive and the Legislature never to be cowed down or to succumb to the pressure to legalize the rights of LGBTQIs.”

The post Ghana’s LGBT+ office forced to shut down after opposition from church groups appeared first on AFRICA EXPLAINED.