Princess Luna
21st May 2012, 21:19
Joyce Banda, who became Malawis first female president last month, is hitting the ground running. In her first state of the nation address, she announced that as a matter of urgency shell seek to repeal the countrys laws criminalizing homosexuality.
Banda seems to have enough support in parliament to get the laws overturned, but Malawi is still a conservative country, so its a gutsy move. Bandas predecessor pardoned two men who were imprisoned for the crime of wanting to get married but maintained that they committed a crime against our culture, against our religion, and against our laws.
Gay rights activists in the region hope that a change like this in Malawi, which is hosting the African Union summit this summer, will send a message to the entire continent. Thirty-seven African countries outlaw homosexuality and recent anti-gay bills in Nigeria, Uganda and Liberia arent exactly offering hope that theyre moving in the right direction. An activist in South Africa, the only African country where same-sex marriages are legal, says, Symbolically, I think it is very important for Africa.
http://feministing.com/2012/05/21/malawis-first-woman-president-vows-to-repeal-anti-gay-laws/
Banda seems to have enough support in parliament to get the laws overturned, but Malawi is still a conservative country, so its a gutsy move. Bandas predecessor pardoned two men who were imprisoned for the crime of wanting to get married but maintained that they committed a crime against our culture, against our religion, and against our laws.
Gay rights activists in the region hope that a change like this in Malawi, which is hosting the African Union summit this summer, will send a message to the entire continent. Thirty-seven African countries outlaw homosexuality and recent anti-gay bills in Nigeria, Uganda and Liberia arent exactly offering hope that theyre moving in the right direction. An activist in South Africa, the only African country where same-sex marriages are legal, says, Symbolically, I think it is very important for Africa.
http://feministing.com/2012/05/21/malawis-first-woman-president-vows-to-repeal-anti-gay-laws/