Gabon has finally decided: homosexuality is no longer punished by law in the territory – it is one of the few countries in sub-Saharan Africa to take this position
Good news, right on time Pride Month. On June 23, legislators in the Gabonese lower house voted and tabled the verdict. Homosexuality should no longer be punished by law in the territory. The result turned out to be tight: 88 deputies voted for decriminalization, against 84 unfavorable and 25 abstentions.
It is an almost unprecedented and rare decriminalization, since homosexuality remains very taboo in sub-Saharan Africa. As recalled by our colleagues from France info, marriage between same-sex couples is still prohibited.
“So gays and lesbians are now free to show up without worrying about it, even though gay marriage, on the other hand, doesn’t.”is still not allowed “, written Gabon Review.
“Parliament is restoring a fundamental human right for its citizens. That of loving, freely, without being condemned. Yes to dignity, no to hatred, “ rejoiced the first lady of Gabon Sylvia Bongo Ondimba.
A fight that persists
Indeed, more than half of the countries of sub-Saharan Africa still repress homosexuality. With the exception of Bostwana, Angola, Mozambique and the Seychelles. Gabon now also joins Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Lesotho.
This decision was not unanimous. After the vote, many deputies expressed their disagreement; including Blaise Louembe, member of the Gabonese Democratic Party. “I have just expressed my vote against the decriminalization of homosexuality (…) I am nevertheless in solidarity with all the rest of the text but my religious convictions, my attachment to the Constitution and to our ancestral values do not command me to authorize or encourage homosexual practices, “ did he declare.
The text must now be submitted to senators, at a date which has yet to be fixed.
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