Tag: tanzania gay rights
Opinion: ‘You can’t be a lesbian in Tanzania’
* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation. Tanzania’s president John Magufuli has been on a morality crusade, reinforcing discrimination against women and the LGBT+ community in particular Kiara Ethan is an activist at Eagle Wings Youth Initiative in Tanzania Being a lesbian in… Read more »
Tanzania governor who created task force to hunt gay people banned from entering US
A high-ranking official in Tanzania who created a task force to hunt down gay people has been banned from entering the US. Paul Makonda is the governor of Tanzania’s most-populated city, Dar es Salaam, and he created the team to round up gay people in 2018. He said he aimed to make Dar es Salaam… Read more »
Tanzania Says Tolerating LGBT Community Would Be ‘Intolerable,’ As Donors Pull Funding
Tanzania said Friday that it would not comply with demands from donors to soften its opposition to LGBT rights. According to NBC News, Finance Minister Philip Mpango told officials that Tanzania could not comply with demands from donors to tolerate the LGBT community as a condition for aid. “[T]here is no way,” he said, calling… Read more »
Tanzania Police Arrest Grooms and Guests in Homosexual Marriage
Tanzanian police invaded a homosexual marriage in Pongwe Beach on the island of Tanzania and arrested 10 people, along with the couple, because of their sexual orientation. According to Amnesty International, the policemen entered the place where the party took place and took all the men who were sitting in pairs, already assuming that they… Read more »
Men arrested on suspicion of ‘being gay’ in Zanzibar released on bail
The incident is still being investigated and the men could be charged in the future, police said Ten men arrested last weekend for ‘being gay’ in the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar have been released. On 3 November, police raided a beach resort following a tip-off that a same-sex marriage was taking place on Pongwe Beach.… Read more »
US warns its citizens in Tanzania before anti-gay crackdown
Dar Es Salaam: The United States has warned its citizens in Tanzania to be cautious after the commercial capital Dar es Salaam announced a crackdown on homosexuality, a criminal offence in the country. In an alert on its website late on Saturday, the U.S. Embassy in Tanzania advised Americans to review their social media profiles… Read more »
Tanzanian Leader Launches Anti-Gay Crackdown, Expects to Round Up Hundreds
The Regional Commissioner of Tanzania’s largest city announced the creation of an anti-gay surveillance squad that is expected to begin a roundup as early as Monday. In an interview with Dizzim TV on Monday, Paul Makonda ordered residents throughout Dar es Salaam to report gay people to a phone hotline in advance of the widespread… Read more »
Tanzanian governor asks for names as he launches new social media squad to arrest gay people
Tanzanian authorities are set to track down and arrest gay people — who face at least 30 years in prison — after the announcement of an anti-gay surveillance squad. Paul Makonda, governor of the country’s largest city Dar es Salaam, issued the directive in a news conference delivered on Monday. The 17-member squad will seek… Read more »
Dar es Salaam governor launches anti-gay clampdown
The governor of Tanzania’s economic capital Dar es Salaam on Monday launched an anti-gay clampdown, threatening to arrest people suspected of being homosexuals. “I have information about the presence of many homosexuals in our province,” Paul Makonda told reporters on Monday, calling on citizens to begin reporting homosexuals for round-ups to begin next week. Under… Read more »
Tanzania steps up fight against queer rights
Fear and Loathing, World of Politics “Everyone is afraid. We’re all afraid. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow. Nobody knows.” So says James Wandera Ouma, director of LGBT Voice Tanzania, a Tanzanian queer rights organisation. His comments followed a recent announcement by Tanzania’s Home Affairs Minister Mwigulu Nchemba that the government would be cracking… Read more »
Tanzania vows to arrest those ‘protecting’ gay interests
Nairobi, Kenya – Tanzania has threatened to arrest and deport those campaigning for gay rights and de-register organisations protecting homosexual interests, local media reported Monday. “I would like to remind and warn all organisations and institutions that campaign and pretend to protect homosexual interests … we are going to arrest whoever is involved and charge… Read more »
Tanzania drops its threat to publish a list of gay people who ‘sell their bodies’
Tanzania has backed down from its threat to publish a list of gay people who are allegedly selling sex online. The deputy health minister of the African nation had made the threat last week. Hamisi Kigwangalla allegedly announced the plan as part of a government crack down on “the homosexuality syndicate”. “I will publish a… Read more »
Tanzania orders gay men to report to police
Homosexuality is punishable with up to 30 years in prison Tanzania has ordered men accused of being gay to report to police. Deputy health minister Hamis Kingwangala has ordered three men accused of ‘spreading homosexual activity’ through social media to be questioned by the authorities. Gay sex is illegal in Tanzania and punishable by up… Read more »
Tanzania suspends some HIV programs for gay men, says health minister
Dar Es Salam (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Tanzania has suspended community-based HIV/AIDS prevention programs for gay men, the health minister said on Monday, in the latest crackdown on the high-risk group. Ummy Mwalimu, Tanzania’s minister for health said the government had received reports that some local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were promoting and normalizing same-sex relationships… Read more »
This Country Wants To ‘Curb’ Gay Sex By Stopping NGOs From Importing Lube
Well… that’s interesting. In what’s been described as a crackdown on gays, government officials in Tanzania have approved a ban on the import and sale of sexual lubricants to local NGOs that service the LGBT community. Among those who believe that access to lube is directly correlated to how many locals engage in gay sex… Read more »
Making sense of Homosexuality in Tanzania
Could you please begin by explaining the legal situation regarding the rights of homosexuals? In Tanzania homosexuality is punishable under the Penal Code which states that, homosexuality is considered an unnatural act punishable under the Penal Code, Cap. 16 R.E. 2002, section 154 of which provides that any person who (1) has carnal knowledge of… Read more »
RGOD2: Why silence is golden for LGBT people in Tanzania and Zanzibar
(Editor’s note: The Rev. Canon Albert Ogle, author of the RGOD2 column, is on vacation. Today’s column is written by Bryan Weiner, who recently finished his master’s degree in International Policy Studies with a focus on Conflict Resolution from the Monterey Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California. He spent his final semester at graduate… Read more »
What does it mean to be gay in Tanzania?
The International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) releases a map which shows gay rights by country. The countries with the most homophobic laws are shown in red and the countries with the most open laws are green. In between are various shades of orange, yellow and light green. Tanzania is colored a bright red, indicating… Read more »
Tanzanian LGBT group seeks facts about harassment
Human rights activists in Tanzania are raising money for a survey of LGBT people in Tanzania to measure how much harassment and discrimination they face from police, health-care professionals and businesses. So far LGBT Voice of Tanzania has raised $4,181 of its $21,020 goal for the project. Harassment and discrimination are facts of life for… Read more »
Dar plans to introduce tougher anti-gay Bill
As Uganda battles donor backlash for passing a law that outlaws homosexuality, a Tanzanian MP is working on a private member’s Bill that seeks to tighten the law against same sex relationships. Ezekiel Wenje from the main opposition Chama cha Democrasia na Maendeleo party told The EastAfrican that he had already given parliament notice of… Read more »
LGBT Rights Unearthed for Tanzanian Constitutional Review
Hidden in the folds of society, gay and lesbian Tanzanians are chipping away at an age-old system of oppression. In 2011 the Tanzanian government began to work toward producing a new constitution. In an effort to engage citizens, President Jakaya Kikwet enacted a Constitutional Review Commission. The Tanzanian Constitution Review Commission has been collecting public… Read more »
Gay Rights in Tanzania: Interview with a Young Tanzanian Male
Could you please begin by explaining the legal situation regarding the rights of homosexuals? In Tanzania homosexuality is punishable under the Penal Code which states that,”homosexuality is considered an unnatural act punishable under the Penal Code, Cap. 16 R.E. 2002, section 154 of which provides that any person who (1) has carnal knowledge of any… Read more »
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