Botswana has scrapped laws criminalizing same-sex relations on Tuesday, in a victory for LGBT rights in Africa.
The country’s high court overturned the law dating back to colonial times that criminalized consensual same-sex relations. It’s a big step for LGBT rights in Africa, where more than 30 out of 54 countries across the continent have laws criminalizing gay sex.
Judges voting to revoke the laws said they were unconstitutional. Sexual orientation “is an important attribute of one’s personality,” and “is not a fashion statement,” judges said. The court was packed with activists cheering the decision.
The case was brought two months ago by a student at the University of Botswana and supported by local and regional gay rights groups.
It comes just weeks after Kenya’s courts upheld its own laws that punish same-sex relations with up to 14 years in prison, after Kenyan human rights and LGBT organizations filed a petition.
Homosexuality has been a crime in Botswana since the lat..