Chad could become 37th country in Africa to ban homosexuality

Chad could become 37th country in Africa to ban homosexuality
(Image credit: David Greedy/Getty Images)

In a major setback for gay rights in Africa, Chad is poised to become the 37th country on the continent to outlaw homosexuality.

Government ministers voted to make same-sex relations punishable by up to 20 years in prison, The Guardian reports. Chad's penal code did not "explicitly mention homosexuality," but Section 361 in the code's new draft says that anyone who has intercourse with someone of the same sex can be jailed for 15 to 20 years and fined 50,000 to 500,000 Central African francs, or around $98 to $980.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.