WINDHOEK, Namibia (LifeSiteNews) – The parliament of Namibia passed a bill last week banning recognition of same-sex “marriages” between Namibians and foreigners.
According to the provisions of the bill, passed Wednesday, same-sex “marriages” contracted between Namibians and foreigners abroad will not be recognized as marriages in the predominantly Christian African nation. The bill further bans the promotion, solemnization, participation in, and advertising of such unions. The bill likewise defines marriage as a union between persons of the opposite sex and spouses as persons constituting half of a legal union between people born genetically male and female.
Violations of the bill would result in jail-time of up to six years and a fine of up to $5,500. The bill passed the Namibian parliament’s upper house with no opposition.
Speaking in favor of the bill during parliamentary debate, Elder Filipe of the ruling party, the South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO), said that “The family union is between man and woman and that must be respected.” He further stressed that the act of sodomy is immoral.
“God created man with an anus for exit only, and transforming it into an exit-entry is extremely [immoral],” he said.
The bill is due to head back to the Parliament’s lower chamber for a second vote before being sent to President Hage Geingob for approval.
The country already has a 1927 law banning sodomy, however, it is seldom enforced, according to BNN. A series of court cases dealing with LGBT issues, however, have arisen in recent years, dealing with same-sex “marriage” and homosexuals’ ability to obtain children and emigrate from the country. Last May, the Namibian Supreme Court ruled that the country would recognize same-sex “marriages” formed abroad between Namibians and foreigners, leading to backlash from Namibian conservatives.
Namibia is not the first African nation to push back on homosexuality this year.
In May, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signed a law that the country’s parliament passed in March that put in place provisions strictly limiting homosexual behavior and identification, calling for the death penalty in certain cases of rape and child molestation, to the chagrin of Western leaders.
Both U.S. President Joe Biden and the U.S. State Department threatened to withhold aid from the country. Ugandan students, however, protested the threat, chanting in front of the country’s parliament building, “We don’t want your pro-gay money. We want and love our country more than money.”
Moseveni has spoken against the West’s criticism of the law, telling the Ugandan parliament last month, “Nobody will move us.” “[Homosexuality is] not genetic, it’s not hormonal, it’s a psychological disorientation,” he continued.
Namibia is not the only African nation considering pro-family laws. Both Ghana and Kenya are currently considering similar laws in their respective parliaments.