By Agence France-Presse

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND - Switzerland on Sunday voted strongly in favor of a new law against homophobia in a referendum despite opposition from the populist right wing Swiss People's Party (SVP), according to a projection.

The projection published by GFS Bern polling and research group found that 62 percent had voted in favor of the reform, with a margin of error of three percent.The new law will widen existing legislation against discrimination or incitement to hatred on ethnic or religious grounds to include sexual orientation.

"This is a historic day," Mathias Reynard, a lawmaker from the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland who initiated the reform, told Swiss channel RTS 1. "It gives a signal which is magnificent for everyone and for anyone who has been a victim of discrimination," he said.

Under the new law, homophobic comments made in a family setting or among friends would not be criminalized. But publicly denigrating or discriminating against someone for being gay or inciting hatred against that person in text, speech, images or gestures, would be banned. Read more via VOA