Mozambique
Mozambique decriminalized same-sex relations on June 30, 2015 with the new Penal Code signed by President Armando Guebuza in December 2014, which dropped the inherited "acts against nature" provisions. Law 23/2007 had protected employment non-discrimination on sexual orientation, but was repealed by Law 13/2023 in force from February 2024, leaving a specific gap in the workplace. The Penal Code (Law 24/2019, 2020) covers sexual orientation and gender identity as an aggravating factor in homicide under article 160. No marriage, civil unions, adoption or legal gender change. The LAMBDA Moçambique association has sought official registration since 2008; in October 2017 the Constitutional Council struck down the "moral order" clause used to block its registration. Maputo more liberal than rural areas per UK FCDO · 56% would welcome an LGBT neighbour (Afrobarometer 2016) · one of the few African countries with majority tolerance.
LGBTQI+ legal framework · Mozambique
Social context · Mozambique
Afrobarometer 2016: 56% of Mozambicans comfortable having LGBT neighbours · among the four African countries with majority tolerance · UK FCDO notes Maputo attitudes are more liberal than in remote rural areas
Source →LAMBDA Moçambique has sought official registration since 2008; in October 2017 the Constitutional Council ruled unconstitutional the "moral order" clause used to block registration · no reports of systemic state violence, though discretion is advised outside Maputo
Source →Indicative data as of 2026-06-02. Check the destination country's official sources before travelling.
Experiences
gay friendly · Mozambique
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Recent
LGBT news · Mozambique
Employment non-discrimination on sexual orientation repealed
Law 13/2023 enters into force in February 2024 and repeals Law 23/2007, which had banned employment discrimination on sexual orientation for nearly two decades.