Mozambique scraps anti-gay law | Mozambique | The Guardian

Contents:

• MOZAMBIQUE CRIMALIS GAY AND LBIAN RELATNSHIPS
• MOZAMBIQUE SCRAPS ANTI-GAY LAW
• MOZAMBIQUE GAY RIGHTS NEWSWIRE
• ACTIVISTS NMN VLENCE AGAST LGBTQ MUNY ST. VCENT, WHERE GAY SEX IS ILLEGAL
• CALIFORNIA SCHOOL BOARD ADOPTS SOCIAL STUDI TEXTBOOKS THAT CLU GAY RIGHTS AFTER WARNGS OM ERNOR
• GAY UNSELOR'S FIRG BY INDIANAPOLIS CATHOLIC SCHOOL PERMTED BY FERAL APPEALS URT

MOZAMBIQUE CRIMALIS GAY AND LBIAN RELATNSHIPS

Image source, AFPImage ptn, Rights activists have mpaigned across Ai for greater regnn for same-sex relatnshipsMozambique has crimalised homosexualy s new penal , makg one of a few Ain untri where same-sex relatnships are revised , force om Wednday, drops a lonial-era clse outlawg "vic agast nature" were no prosecutns unr that clse but rights activists have said this change is a symbolic as other Ain untri have moved to tighten anti-gay Nigeria, a law that me to force last year banned same-sex public displays of affectn and troduced a possible 14-year prison sentence for gay sex. A study released on Tuday found that 87% of Nigerians supported a ban on same-sex Uganda, the ernment has pledged to troduce a new rtrictive law after the last law which crimalised homosexualy was succsfully challenged the nstutnal source, AFPImage ptn, Activists hope that the change Mozambique uld have an impact on other untriAnalysis: Milton Nkosi, BBC NewsMozambique's move to crimalise homosexualy looks step wh recent chang elsewhere, such as Ireland and the Mozambique is also followg the lik of neighbourg South Ai, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast and others, where is not a crime to be gay. It adds to a mixed picture on the ntent as the tighteng of laws agast homosexualy some untri shows what a ntent subject gay rights is.

MOZAMBIQUE SCRAPS ANTI-GAY LAW

The change then is a small step forward for Ai's lbian and gay many plac, whether homosexualy is legal or not, the real qutn is about ordary people's attus to gay people, which n still be hostile.

"I am sure that Ain untri will look at their old laws and see that this is an important step to guarantee that society is ee and equal, " Danilo Da Silva, head of the Mozambin gay rights group Lambda, told the BBC.

Historilly Mozambique has seen ltle vlence towards gay and lbian people, BBC Mozambique analyst Zenaida Machado, she adds, same-sex relatnships are still a divisive subject a untry where most people are eher relig Christians or people may be relaxed about homosexualy, many see promotg gay rights as an attack on cultural and relig practic, she on this storyRelated Inter LksThe BBC is not rponsible for the ntent of external s. Pri month is a time to reflect on progrs but also ongog challeng  advancg the rights of lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT) people.

MOZAMBIQUE GAY RIGHTS NEWSWIRE

Last July, five men acced of homosexual nduct were arrted Kano State, Nigeria by a relig police un that enforc Sharia, or Islamic law.

And Augt, lawmakers proposed a bill (still unr review) so extreme that simply sayg you are gay or lbian uld land you mandatory nversn therapy or prison for up to 10 years.

Same-sex nduct is not illegal  Rwanda, but thori there round up and arbrarily taed people regard as socially unsirable, cludg over a dozen gay and transgenr people, sex workers, street children, and others the months before a planned June 2021 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetg. When Mozambique’s human rights rerd was reviewed before the Uned Natns Human Rights Council Geneva this week, the ernment’s nsistency on homosexualy was full view.

ACTIVISTS NMN VLENCE AGAST LGBTQ MUNY ST. VCENT, WHERE GAY SEX IS ILLEGAL

The Mozambique ernment was rightly praised for crimalizg homosexualy last year. In Ai, such bold actns on lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT) rights are far too rare. Even now, over six months after the crimalizatn of homosexualy, Lambda still operat much like before: eely, but not legally.

Havg taken the cisn to crimalize homosexualy the ernment should now end the unjtified terference wh the right to eedom of associatn for LGBT people.

Mozambique crimalised homosexualy on Monday when a new penal me to force that swept away old Portugue lonial laws, a victory for mpaigners for gay rights old , datg back to 1886, targeted anyone “who habually engag vic agast nature” – but no known prosecutns were brought after Mozambique beme pennt 1975. “It’s a symbolic victory, as social cln remas the ma challenge, ” said Frank, a gay rights activist who refed to give his full new penal , which was announced last December by the then print, Armando Guebuza, also crimalis abortn after lobbyg by civil rights majory of Ain untri outlaw homosexualy, but Mozambique has seen ltle anti-gay vlence or social ictn over the Tsandzana, an fluential blogger and activist, said there had been no public discsn of homosexual rights.

CALIFORNIA SCHOOL BOARD ADOPTS SOCIAL STUDI TEXTBOOKS THAT CLU GAY RIGHTS AFTER WARNGS OM ERNOR

“Most Mozambins don’t ny homosexualy, but one n’t say eher that is accepted. ”Dpe a seven-year mpaign, the Mozambin ernment has not officially regnised Lambda, the only gay rights anisatn the print of neighbourg Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, is known for his csas agast homosexualy and discrimatn is wispread across the ntent. Vcent and the Grenad, where gay sex is still homelsns to ongog physil and verbal abe, the gay muny the small natn of some 100, 000 people says is unr nstant threat.

While rarely voked, the rights group and a lol activist said the laws help legimize hostily and abe agast gay people. ”In July 2019, two gay men om St. Vcent who are livg abroad filed a se to challenge lol laws crimalizg gay sex that activists say should be stck down.

”Human Rights Watch terviewed more than 20 members of the island’s LGBTQ muny who shared their stori but were not intified to protect them, notg that lol police are often openly discrimatory toward gay people who seek help. One gay man relled how his classmat beat him and broke his arm. Several reported that their fai are homophobic and physilly and verbally abed them, g them to bee homels and promptg some to nsir suici.

GAY UNSELOR'S FIRG BY INDIANAPOLIS CATHOLIC SCHOOL PERMTED BY FERAL APPEALS URT

Many also stggle to fd jobs amid a high unemployment rate and said they face discrimatn, cludg a 19-year-old gay man who said he has rorted to beggg: “Sometim I am so hungry. It is hard for me as a gay this untry. ”Six English-speakg natns the Caribbean still crimalize gay sex, cludg Domi, Jamai, Guyana, Grenada and St.

Gonsalv prevly noted there’s been a history of discrimatn agast gay people. That kd of irratnal homophobia is entirely unacceptable.

”González wh Human Rights Watch noted that 2019, the ernment held a workshop for public employe on the importance of rpectg gay rights, a rare move for a nservative Caribbean natn. “This legislatn is the latt a strg of asslts on the rights of lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr people, this time unr the bric of state-ced transphobia.