Gay Guide Mozambique

In July 2015, the criminalisation of homosexuals was abolished by a new penal code. Mozambique is thus one of the few African countries where homosexual relationships are legal. The new code abolishes a section from the colonial era that punished homosexuality as a "vice against nature". Although the public attitude towards homosexuality is more relaxed here, many see it as a provocation and as an attack on culture and religion to support lesbian and gay rights. To live a same-sex relationship openly is therefore still problematic in a country where Christianity and Islam exert a great influence. Mozambique has been one of only three African countries to offer gay, lesbian and bisexual people some protection against discrimination since 2007. A small LGBT community can be found in the capital Maputo.