In what is being described as a landmark ruling for gay rights, the high court in Windhoek has ruled that laws banning same-sex acts between men are unconstitutional.
According to the BBC, convictions for the colonial-era offences of “sodomy” and “unnatural sexual offences” were rare, but they fueled discrimination against gay men who lived in fear of arrest.
Notably, marrying someone of the same sex is still illegal in Namibia, but if a same-sex couple weds abroad and one of them is not a Namibian citizen, their union is legally recognised.
The BBC reports that this court case was brought by a Namibian activist, Friedel Dausab, with backing from the British charity, Human Dignity Trust.
Reacting to the verdict, Dausab is reported to have said: “It won’t be a crime to love anymore. I no longer feel like a criminal on the run in my own country simply because of who I am.”
Several nations in Africa have repealed anti-LGBTQ laws in recent years, but South Africa is the only country where same-sex couples can marry and adopt.
[Image: Vilius Kukanauskas from Pixabay]