A bill was also introduced in 2018, to criminalize hate crimes and hate speech, and in 2020 South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa passed into law the Civil Union Amendment Act, which prohibits marriage officers from refusing to conduct same-sex marriages. In 2006, South Africa became the first and remains the only African country to legalize same-sex marriage, with a constitution that also protects against discrimination based on sexual orientation. For the majority of African nations, anti-LGBTQ+ laws date back to the colonial era, but the impact today is that LGBTQ+ communities face stigma, discrimination, and widespread threats and violence as a result of their sexual orientation and gender identities.
