Loveandthelaw
Botswanalegalisesgaysex
博茨瓦纳宣布同性性行为不犯罪
Butmorethan30Africancountriesstillcriminaliseit
Jun15th
INZIMBABWE“SODOMY”(鸡奸)canlandyouinprisonforayear.InZambia“carnalknowledgeagainsttheorderofnature”couldmeansevenormoreyearsbehindbars.Ugandapassedalawinpunishinggayactswithlifeimprisonment,thoughacourtlaterstruckitdown.
Botswana’shighcourtdecidedthatsuchlaws“deserveaplaceinthemuseumorarchives(档案馆)andnotintheworld”.JudgeMichaelLeburu,whoreadoutaunanimousverdictwhenthecourtstruckdownthecountry’sbanongaysex,said:“Itisnotthebusinessofthelawtoregulateprivateconsensualsexualencounters.”ThisrulingfollowstheunbanningofgaysexinAngolainJanuaryandinMozambiquein.Sofar,SouthAfricaistheonlysub-Saharancountrythatallowsgaymarriage.
However,gaypeoplearestillpersecutedbylawinmorethan30Africancountries.Insome,suchasSudanandSomalia,theirloveispunishablebydeath.Althoughsuchlawsareseldomenforced,theyleavepeopleopentoextortionandabuse.
Anti-gaylawsalsoreinforceacultureofintoleranceinmanycountries.InMayreligiousconservativesrejoicedwhenKenya’sHighCourtupheldalawthatcriminalisesgaysex.Judgesfoundthatitdidnotviolateaconstitutionalguaranteeoffreedomfromdiscrimination,thoughitplainlydiscriminatesagainstgaypeople.(Kenya’sconstitutionalsopromiseseveryone“adequatehousing”(充足的房源供给),soperhapstheframersdidnotexpectittobetakenliterally.)
Botswanaisaconservativeplace,too.Hereditarychiefsadviseparliament,ratherlikehereditarylordsdoinBritain.Butviewsaboutgaypeopleareevolving.Discriminatingagainstthematworkhasbeenillegalsince—despitethebanontheirbedroomactivities.AndyoungerpeopleinBotswanaaremoretolerantthantheirelders.Some76%of50-64-year-oldswouldobjecttoagayneighbour;only48%of18-29-year-oldswould.
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