In the US the fight for gay rights has been an uphill battle that ended in 2015 when the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage cannot be prohibited by a state. Even though this battle was won, there is still more work to be done. In Africa homosexuality is illegal in 38 out of the 54 countries. In Mauritania, Sudan and Somalia homosexuality are punishable by death. In Burkina Faso, Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Madagascar, Mali, Niger, and Rwanda has no laws criminalizing homosexual activities. Many African leaders believe that homosexuality was bought into the continent from other parts of the world. Even though research proves that homosexuality existed and was a part of African cultures. Cape Verde has been ruled one of the “most gay-friendly African Country”.
Tanzanian homosexual activity among men is illegal and punishable up to 30 years in prison. Lesbian relationships have no restriction and are free to part take in sexual activity. During the raid, the police arrested eight men and 12 women for “attending a training session from an NGO that works on education programs for HIV/AIDS”. In February, the Tanzanian government announced that they were going to crack down on homosexuality and “on privately run health centers that provide AIDS-related services, which Health Minister Ummy Mwalimu said promoted homosexuality”. The government even banned lubricants in July 2016 because it “encouraged homosexuality which led to the spread of HIV/AIDS”.
Even though there has been progressing with the rights homosexuality in the US, it is quite apparent that there is still a lot of work to do around the world. Africa is not the only continent refuse to allow homosexual activities.
No comments:
Post a Comment