Angola Decriminalizes Gay Sex, Bans LGB Discrimination

The central African nation of Angola turned a corner on equality this week by formally rescinding a ban on same-sex conduct and prohibiting LGB discrimination, according to Human Rights Watch.

Establishing a new penal code for the first time since it gained independence from Portugal in 1975, parliament officials struck the "vices against nature" provision inherited from its colonial days. While the "vices" provision doesn't specifically mention same-sex activity, it was widely viewed as a ban on gay sex. The provision was never enforced, but local queer activists viewed it as an implicit insult.

Possibly even more consequential was the government also banning discrimination against gay and bisexual people, meaning those refusing employment or services to someone because of their sexual orientation could face two years in jail.

This week's advances follow the country's decision last year to give legal status to the nation's sole LGBTQ rights organization, Iris Angola.

While the news is good in Angola, state-sanctioned homophobia is still de rigueur in the southern hemisphere. A total of 69 countries in the world currently criminalize consensual same-sex activity between adults.