CIVICUS discusses LGBTQI+ rights struggles and the backlash in Namibia with Miguel Gomes Antonio, Executive Director of the Southern African Christian Initiative (SACHI), a regional civil society organisation (CSO) that advocates for social and political development, democracy and good governance, social and economic justice and peace, religious tolerance and interfaith dialogue.
Namibia’s new Marriage Act, signed into law by President Nangolo Mbumba in October 2024, defines marriage strictly as a union between a man and a woman and prohibits same-sex marriages and their recognition, even if legally performed abroad. The law, widely seen as a response to a June court ruling that decriminalised same-sex relations, institutionalises discrimination, violates constitutional principles of equality and dignity and contradicts a 2023 Supreme Court ruling that recognised same-sex marriages for immigration purposes.