N'DJAMENA, Chad, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- Government ministers of the West African nation of Chad voted Monday to make same-sex relations a crime, the 37th African nation to enact such a law.
Homosexuality is not currently illegal in Chad, but a section of a new penal code makes it punishable by 15 to 20 years imprisonment and a fine. The cabinet claims the intent of the law is to "protect the family and to comply with Chadian society." It will go before Parliament members and then to President Idriss Deby for his signature; no dispute of objection is expected.