Just before the start of Pride Month, the Namibian supreme court ruled its government must recognise the union of same-sex marriages performed abroad, even though they remain illegal under domestic laws. The historic ruling made Namibia only the second African country after South Africa to recognise same-sex marriage.
The judgment came as a relief to the country’s LGBTIQ community, particularly Namibians and their foreign spouses who had been denied residency permits under the country’s Immigration Control Act. The law as it was left many same-sex couples with only two options: either leave Namibia to live together or live in different countries. Foreign-born spouses who chose to live in Namibia were at risk of deportation.
Carli Schickerling, a lawyer representing the two same-sex couples involved in the six-year case, said Namibia’s LGBTIQ community had been waiting for a ruling like this for the better part of a decade. A backlash to the court's decision proves there is still a long way to go in the battle for equality but, for the community, it's a sign of progress. Persistence has paid off.
