{"id":6764,"date":"2015-07-03T04:28:57","date_gmt":"2015-07-03T04:28:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/?p=6764"},"modified":"2015-07-09T13:05:26","modified_gmt":"2015-07-09T13:05:26","slug":"mozambique","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/mozambique","title":{"rendered":"Mozambique Officially Decriminalizes Being Gay or Lesbian"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"a6b39195b99473d6c9dd698db2668010\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:2px 0 2px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<center>\r\n\r\n<script type='text\/javascript'>\r\nfunction ShorterThan(widthMax) {\r\n                if (screen.width < widthMax) {return true;}  \r\n                else {return false}\r\n    }\r\nvar LimitWidth = 728\r\nvar MobileZoneID = 348996\r\nvar DesktopZoneID = 348995   \r\n<!--\/\/<![CDATA[\r\n   document.MAX_ct0 ='';\r\n   var m3_u = (location.protocol=='https:'?'https:\/\/cas.criteo.com\/delivery\/ajs.php?':'https:\/\/cas.criteo.com\/delivery\/ajs.php?');\r\n   var m3_r = Math.floor(Math.random()*99999999999);\r\n   document.write (\"<scr\"+\"ipt type='text\/javascript' src='\"+m3_u);\r\n   if (ShorterThan(LimitWidth)) {document.write (\"zoneid=\"+MobileZoneID);} else {document.write (\"zoneid=\"+DesktopZoneID);}\r\n   document.write(\"&nodis=1\");\r\n   document.write ('&cb=' + m3_r);\r\n   if (document.MAX_used != ',') document.write (\"&exclude=\" + document.MAX_used);\r\n   document.write (document.charset ? '&charset='+document.charset : (document.characterSet ? '&charset='+document.characterSet : ''));\r\n   document.write (\"&loc=\" + escape(window.location));\r\n   if (document.referrer) document.write (\"&referer=\" + escape(document.referrer));\r\n   if (document.context) document.write (\"&context=\" + escape(document.context));\r\n   if ((typeof(document.MAX_ct0) != 'undefined') && (document.MAX_ct0.substring(0,4) == 'http')) {\r\n       document.write (\"&ct0=\" + escape(document.MAX_ct0));\r\n   }\r\n   if (document.mmm_fo) document.write (\"&mmm_fo=1\");\r\n   document.write (\"'><\/scr\"+\"ipt>\");\r\n\/\/]]>--><\/script>\r\n<\/center>\n<\/div>\n<p>Mozambique removed a law that criminalized being gay or lesbian. The law dates back to 1886 but it has not been enforced for a while. Since the country gained independence from Portugal in 1975, there has been no prosecution for gay and lesbians. Though this act is more of a formality than anything else, it can be interpreted as a step for LGBT rights in the country. This is quite a contrast to some African nations that have proposed anti-LGBT laws. So far, a few countries in Africa have begun to embrace the LGBT community. Courts in Botswana and Kenya have both given advocacy groups in their countries the right to formally incorporate.<\/p>\n<h2>Changing Attitudes in the Country<\/h2>\n<p>A few months ago, former Mozambique president Joaquim Chissano wrote an open letter calling for LGBT equality in the country. \u201c<i>As an African who has been around a long time, I understand the resistance to these ideas<\/i>,\u201d he wrote.\u00a0<i>\u201cBut I can also step back and see that the larger course of human history, especially of the past century or so, is one of expanding human rights and freedoms. African leaders should be at the helm of this, and not hold back. Not at this critical moment. The international agenda that we will help forge is not just for us here and now, but for the next generations and for the world. As I think about these issues, I am reminded of the words of our recently departed leader, who gained so much wisdom over the course of his long walk to freedom. \u2018To be free is not merely to cast off one\u2019s chains,\u2019 Nelson Mandela reminded us, \u2018but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.\u2019 Let us live up to his immortal words.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6766\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6766\" style=\"width: 700px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-6766\" src=\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/07\/tumblr_mzhh9at78j1r2qx9po1_1280.jpg\" alt=\"source\" width=\"700\" height=\"395\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/07\/tumblr_mzhh9at78j1r2qx9po1_1280.jpg 620w, https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/07\/tumblr_mzhh9at78j1r2qx9po1_1280-531x300.jpg 531w, https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/07\/tumblr_mzhh9at78j1r2qx9po1_1280-600x339.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6766\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/41.media.tumblr.com\/7502b63870eeaaa4ecfbf1e3897fb409\/tumblr_mzhh9at78j1r2qx9po1_1280.jpg\">source<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>{adinserter CNP5}<\/p>\n<h2>Some Are Doubting This Measure&#8217;s Effectiveness<\/h2>\n<p>Carina Capitine, who belongs to a Mozambican LGBT rights organization called Lambda, said that decriminalizing the old law will not make a big difference for the LGBT people living in the nation. <i>\u201cWe do welcome it but we don\u2019t actually see it as something that will bring a change for how LGBT people live in Mozambique,\u201d <\/i>Capitine said. For the past eight years, the group has been fighting for the right to formally register as an organization. \u201c<i>The new penal code is a victory, but it tastes sour,\u201d <\/i>another Lambda spokesman, Danilo Da Silva, said. <i>\u201cThe government must guarantee the rights of every citizen. We are disappointed that it\u2019s not happening.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6767\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6767\" style=\"width: 700px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-6767\" src=\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/07\/CI1ZRLaWoAEOkGM.jpg\" alt=\"source\" width=\"700\" height=\"390\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/07\/CI1ZRLaWoAEOkGM.jpg 599w, https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/07\/CI1ZRLaWoAEOkGM-538x300.jpg 538w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6767\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/CI1ZRLaWoAEOkGM.jpg\">source<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<!--CusAds0-->\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mozambique removed a law that criminalized being gay or lesbian. The law dates back to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":6767,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[46],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Mozambique Officially Decriminalizes Being Gay or Lesbian<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The law had not been enforced for a while.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/mozambique\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mozambique Officially Decriminalizes Being Gay or Lesbian\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The law had not been enforced for a while.\" 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