Angola becomes next African Country to Decriminalize Homosexuality

Thousands gather with LGBT Flags. (Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

Angola has adopted a new penal code, dropping the “vices against nature” provision from its colonial era, and decriminalizing homosexuality.

The country’s new law will see people who discriminate against members of the LGBT community be subject to up to 2 years in prison, Human Rights Watch revealed.

The country’s old penal code was put in place by its colonizers, Portugal, in 1975, allowing discrimination of LGBT people in terms of education, employment, and even healthcare.

Angola now joins other African countries like South Africa, Lesotho and Seychelles to become places where LGBT people can live without the fear of state-sanctioned discrimination and violence.

Photo Credit: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images