Angola’s government has ended its longtime ban on gay sex by voting to drop the “vices against nature” provision in its law. The government also voted to prohibit discrimination against men and women on the basis of sexual orientation—making it one of the few in Africa to do so. This provision will prevent employers from refusing to hire gay men or women, and those who do can face up to two years in prison. The country voted for the changes on January 23 when the parliament adopted their first new penal code since becoming independent from Portugal in the 70s. The new penal code passed with 155 votes in favor, one against, and seven abstentions, showing just how much support was behind the change.

According to the Human Rights Watch:

Iris Angola, the country’s only gay rights lobby group, has often complained that its members face discrimination when accessing health care and education. Last year Angola gave legal status to Iris Angola, which was established in 2013 – a move that can now be seen as a forerunner for this latest step toward equality. The group called the decision an “historic moment” allowing the organization to defend the rights of sexual minorities in Angola. In contrast, Mozambique, another former Portuguese colony, decriminalized homosexuality in 2015, when it too adopted a new penal code, but declined to register the country’s biggest LGBT group, Lambda, leaving it to operate freely, but not legally.

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