Audio By Carbonatix
Members of Gabon's lower house of parliament have voted to decriminalise homosexuality.
If the proposal is approved by the upper house and president, it could be one of the few countries in sub-Saharan Africa to reverse a law that punishes sexual relations between people of the same sex.
Last year, the central African nation criminalised homosexuality and made gay sex punishable with six months in prison and a large fine.
Activists said that had sent the LGBT community further underground and had led to harassment.
Forty-eight members of parliament have now backed the proposal to change the 2019 law and lift the ban; half that number opposed the amendment.
Same-sex marriage is still not allowed in Gabon, where homosexuality is still broadly seen as a social taboo.
One MP in favour of keeping the ban said the lawmakers who had voted to legalise homosexuality had shaken the nation's customs and traditions.
Latest Stories
-
Farmers need support all year, not just awards’ — Prof. Boadi
2 minutes -
Spotify ranks ‘Konnected Minds’ Ghana’s No. 1 Podcast for 2025
5 minutes -
Minority caucus push for modern AI-driven agricultural and fisheries revolution
6 minutes -
Mahama reaffirms Ghana’s commitment to ending HIV/AIDS by 2030
7 minutes -
Martin Kpebu poised to defend claims against Special Prosecutor – Counsel
11 minutes -
Kareweh criticises govts for policies that look good but achieve little in agriculture
13 minutes -
Galamsey is killing our cocoa, our water, our future – Minority warns of food security meltdown
16 minutes -
Keta is drowning, not fishing – Minority demands urgent fix to premix fuel breakdown
30 minutes -
Rising attacks on journalists demand better coordination with Security agencies — MFWA
39 minutes -
A nation that left its farmers behind – Minority blasts gov’t over GH¢5bn grain disaster
45 minutes -
Move to scrap OSP is premature, Inusah Fuseini tells Majority caucus
45 minutes -
Farmers’ day losing meaning without real reform — GAWU Warns
48 minutes -
GTA boss outlines three priorities to drive Volta Region’s tourism growth
48 minutes -
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, actor who performed in ‘Mortal Kombat,’ dies at 75
49 minutes -
Ghana celebrates 41st Farmers’ Day, spotlighting champions of food security
55 minutes