Tag: botswana gay rights

Progress for gay rights in Africa still isn’t inevitable

Johannesburg (CNN) – It was Pride Month no less. On June 11, high court judges in Gaborone struck down colonial-era sodomy laws from the rule books. The judgment was comprehensive, and LGBTQ activists in Botswana were overjoyed. It was a significant win in a protracted fight for equality. For a moment, progress seemed inevitable, but… Read more »

Botswana celebrates historic decriminalisation of gay sex

Botswana’s High Court announced its decision this morning (June 11) to decriminalise gay sex, and people are rejoicing the “life-changing” decision. Scenes of celebration are flooding social media, after this historic victory for LGBT+ people in Botswana and worldwide. Anna Mmolai-Chalmers, CEO of Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana (LEGABIBO) said in a press release:… Read more »

Botswana’s High Court postpones decision in gay sex case

Garborone (Reuters) – Botswana’s High Court on Thursday postponed its ruling on a case challenging the criminalisation of gay sex, which is being scrutinised by campaigners hoping the law could be overturned. Judge Abednico Tafa told a packed courtroom in Botswana’s capital Gaborone that a decision would be handed down on June 11 after a… Read more »

Botswana is set to decriminalize homosexuality, here’s everything you need to know

‘There’s nothing at this point that can completely break us’ Botswana’s resilient LGBTI community is hopeful their years long fight to decriminalize same-sex relations will be successful soon. On Thursday (14 March) the High Court in Gaborone – Botswana’s capital city – will hear arguments on the law criminalizing ‘unnatural offences’. Section 164 of Botswana’s… Read more »

Botswana president speaks up for LGBTI rights

There is new hope for LGBTI persons in Botswana because the south African country’s new president is advocating for LGBTI rights. In November, when Botswana‘s new president, Mokgweetsi Masisi, gave a speech against violence on women and children, he also emphasized the rights of LGBTI people. He made it clear that LGBTI people should have… Read more »

Gays, Lesbians look up to Masisi

Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, trans-gender and intersex persons (LGBTI) want President Mokgweetsi Masisi to allow same sex relationships which to date, are deemed unlawful in Botswana. Masisi had recently called for the respect and protection of LGBTI persons’ rights at the launch of the 16 Days of Activism against Violence on Women and Children last week.… Read more »

Botswana High Court sets new date to consider decriminalising homosexuality

After a long delay, the Botswana High Court has announced that it will finally hear a case on the decriminalisation of homosexuality next year. A full bench of the court ordered that a hearing challenging the constitutionality of sections 164(a), 164(c) and 167 of the Penal Code, which criminalise same-sex sexual activities in Botswana, be… Read more »

Canaries in the coal mines

An analysis of spaces for LGBTI activism in Botswana Country Report Read entire report here:http://theotherfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Canaries_Botswana_epub_Draft2_CB2.pdf Source – The Other Foundation

Transgender man wins landmark 10-year-long legal battle for recognition from Botswana

A Botswanan man has won a momentous victory for transgender rights in the African country. The trans man has been legally recognised as male after a 10-year-long legal battle. Homosexuality is illegal in Botswana, with a maximum seven-year jail term for those convicted of so-called “unnatural offences”. The country was also one of 13 at… Read more »

African states bid to stop work of U.N. gay rights investigator

African states launched a bid at the United Nations on Friday to halt the work of the first U.N. independent investigator appointed to help protect gay and transgender people worldwide from violence and discrimination. The 47-member U.N. Human Rights Council, based in Geneva, created the position in June and in September appointed Vitit Muntarbhorn of… Read more »

Botswana deports American anti-gay pastor after radio hate speech

A pastor from Tempe, Ariz., has been trying to spread his fervently anti-gay message in Africa. Steven Anderson’s message is conveyed in his church’s doctrinal statement, which says that “homosexuality is a sin and an abomination which God punishes with the death penalty.” Most African countries have laws against homosexuality. Perhaps Anderson thought he would… Read more »

The War on Homosexuality: A look to Botswana

The war on homosexuality has been raging for decades. With people on opposite sides of the debate often fixated on whether homosexuality is inherent or learned behaviour, whether homosexual people are fully human, whether the world should rest on the face of this “scourge” of homosexuality which supposedly causes global warming, and whether the punishment… Read more »

Gay men reluctant to come out of the closet

Selebi-Phikwe: Reaching out to men in same sex relationships is proving to be a mammoth task for HIV non-governmental organisation (NGO), Silence Kills Support Group (SKSG). The NGO, which began operation in January 2015, has identified over 50 men who have sex with men (MSM) in Selebi-Phikwe and surrounding areas. Speaking during the New Directions… Read more »

Botswana gay rights group wins right to exist after court battle

A court in Botswana has ruled that the government acted illegally when it banned a gay rights group. The Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Botswana group (Legabibo) took a case to the country’s High Court, after it was blocked from registering as an organisation by the Department of Labour and Home Affairs. However, today a judge… Read more »

LGBTI Organizations

The Botswana High Court allows registration of an LGBTI rights organization, finding denial violates Constitutional rights of equal protection, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and association. On November 14, 2014 the Botswana High Court ruled that the government cannot deny registration of the organization LEGABIBO, an acronym for Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana.… Read more »

Proud Healthy

Factors such as stigma, discrimination, violence, gaps in the knowledge and attitudes of health-care workers, and the criminalisation of same-sex acts have adversely affected the access to and uptake of health-care services by LGBTIs in Southern Africa. To address the need to build and strengthen the capacity of LGBTI organisations in Southern Africa in the… Read more »

LeGaBiBo raises awareness about homosexuality in Botswana

When one day, I was in a taxi bus with my gay friends, a passenger talked about things that are offensive to Botswanan culture. He stated that ‘the youth of today’ are imitating the Western lifestyle. When the driver brought up the issue of homosexuality, the bus became a podium of indirect remarks aimed at… Read more »

Growing Up Gay In Botswana

Botswanan trans-lesbian Prisca Mogapi knew he needed to come out to her family, but couldn’t find the right words. That all changed when a local newspaper outed him, thus jump starting his career as the African nation’s leading queer activist. Now Mogapi – who prefers to be called Skipper – works underground to fight Botswana’s… Read more »