At the recently held ICASA conference, I had an exciting time of learning, networking and appreciating the many realities and challenges faced by LGBTI people in Africa. Here, I will highlight one that that a permanent impact in my life, and gave me a reason to proceed with the course. It was thoughts that I have been having particularly from a session on Key populations on HIV/AIDS: LGBTI facilitated by a doctoral research fellow, Zoe Duby of the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation.
More than through any other forum, it was evident from the representation, presentation and conversation held at ICASA that LGBTI refers to sexualities, sexual identities, sexual orientations, sexual lifestyles – NOT sexual behaviour. Only the terms MSM (men who have sex with men) and WSW (women who have sex with women) refer to sexual behaviour. LGBTI, MSM and WSW are all at increased HIV risk due to many factors. LGBTI only recently recognised in context of HIV/AIDS in Africa.
Previously, homosexuality in Africa was always blamed on Western European influence, colonialism and technology. However, evidence shows same-sex practices have always been present in African countries, and are often part of local cultures and traditions.
According to studies, there are numerous examples of ‘traditional’ same sex practices in Africa. Young-old partnerships, taking on different gender roles, cross dressing, initiation rituals (Wilson, 1951); situational same sex behaviours (for example prisoners, truck drivers, miners, armed forces, boarding schools etc), socially sanctioned same-sex sexual experimentation before marriage, in adolescence (Murray & Roscoe, 2001) and same sex behaviour plays a crucial role in certain rituals and traditional practices (Weiss, Quigley & Hayes, 2000)
From sessions held at ICASA, it was evident that Africa is the continent with the harshest laws when it comes to homosexuality and other sexual minorities, partly rooted in colonial-era laws and political situations, religious autonomy, strong negative belief in cultural and family values, and a strong patriarchy.
38 countries in Africa have laws criminalizing homosexuality, 4 of which may impose death penalty (parts of Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan and Mauritania).
More than 50% of African governments have taken action and steps to formally criminalise same sex union. It is so sad that when in December 2008, the United Nations Assembly in New York issued a declaration to decriminalize homosexuality, only 6 African countries signed (Ottoson, 2010).
So what are the societal factors increasing HIV vulnerability of LGBTIs?
According to many countries’ laws and politics, Male same-sex behaviour, is illegal. As a matter of fact, protective legislation for LGBTI only exists in South Africa. Recent legal reforms in some African countries have aimed to strengthen anti-homosexual legislation, rather than make laws more inclusive. Given such restrictive legal and political environment,African LGBTIs are increasingly reporting harassment from state authorities, including police and public officials, in relation to their sexual orientation, and to some extent also their gender identities.
In Malawi for instance, there’s been a series of arrests for homosexuality and a new law criminalising lesbians. In Zimbabwe,gay people face persecution under the Sexual Offences Act, while in Uganda, there was a media palaver of “name and shame” top 100 gay persons&most recently, the very contentious debate of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. In South Africa, there’s “corrective rape” and hate killings of young lesbian women.
Such state sponsored homoprejuidice compounds existing situation of abuse, harassment, humiliation, extortion, arbitrary arrests, judicial violence, imprisonment, torture, hate crimes and honour killing on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity all over Africa.
Public opinion also really increases vulnerability to HIV by LGBTIs. Irrespective of restrictive or enabling laws and political systems, public opinion toward homosexuality in African countries extremely hostile.African public opinion ranks most homophobic in the world in international opinions surveys. On average, 85–99% of African people consider that homosexuality should not be accepted by society (Ottosson, 2009).
Some roots of hostile public opinion include:opinion that homosexuality is ‘un-African’&the misconception that homosexuality was introduced to Africa by foreigners, tendency of organised religion to brand homosexuality as immoral and sinful and family/cultural expectations to have partnerships that bear children.
LGBTI persons are fearful to disclose their sexual behaviours or same-sex orientation to family members & health care staff. They feel unable to or fearful of coming forward to ask for help. This in turn prevents access to knowledge, skills and services that would help meet HIV prevention and treatment needs.
The compounded consequences of homophobic stigma from society, communities, religious groups, family and friends have direct impact on an individual’s sense of personal worth. A lack of self-esteem that arises from stigma reduces a person’s motivation to protect themselves from high-risk behaviours.
Pick the already serious concoction of state sponsored homophobia, hostile public opinion, covertness and homoprejudice produce and add to the lack of knowledge & personal skills, the low self-esteem and self-efficacy belief, inaccessibility & unavailability of prevention and treatment services and the hostile and stigmatising societal environment, you have a perfect recipe for making the LGBTI persons and community more vulnerable to engaging in high risk behaviour and HIV infection.
With this kind of situation, will we stand back and just watch? Will we propagate hate and fuel dogmatic propaganda about moral scales that cannot even be traced from whence they were gotten? “In the words of Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu, “Hate has no place in the house of God. No one should be excluded from our love, our compassion or our concern… because of their sexual orientation. Nor should anyone be excluded from health care…. Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people are… part of the human family… part of God's family… part of the African family. But a wave of hate is spreading across my beloved continent. People are again being denied their fundamental rights and freedoms…. Our lesbian and gay brothers and sisters across Africa are living in fear. And they are living in hiding -- away from care, away from the protection the state should offer to every citizen and away from health care in the AIDS era… ” We must not allow oppression to continue.
Cultural, social & political context for LGBTI in Africa increases their vulnerability to HIV. Generally, countries that have decriminalised same sex behaviour and offered legal protections to LGBTI see more LGBTI coming forward for prevention, testing & treatment. In order to address the HIV epidemic in Africa, African LGBTI, as individuals and collectively, must be acknowledged and recognised. LGBTI must be afforded legal protection and access to health services, and ensured their fundamental human rights.
Written by MaqC Eric Gitau, General Manager, Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya.
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