a week of significant events for the lgbti community in Windhoek

By Linda Baumann

June 27, 2005: Windhoek - The Rainbow Project (trp), a human rights organisation campaigning for the full equality of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Namibia, is offering an exciting programme filled with provocative activities during this year's LGBT awareness week.

This year the lgbt communities in Namibia will be celebrating gay liberation and gay pride and the fact that though slow, attitudes towards sexual minorities in Namibia are changing. During the 2005 LGBT awareness week we will be commemorating Stonewall and the brave gay and lesbian people who in 1969 stood up to the New York police and their abuse towards lgbt people. The Stonewall riots kick-started what has become the global liberation struggle for lgbt people. During the week 26 June to 1 July millions of gay people all over the world will honour Stonewall and celebrate the fact that we are proud of who and what we are.

On Monday we will, through a photo exhibition by a young Namibian lesbian, highlight the serious physical and sexual abuse lgbt people face in Namibia. We will also during a panel discussion on Wednesday ask why the liberation of Namibia seem to have excluded sexual and other minorities and when and how the liberation of lgbt people in Namibia will take place. On this panel we will have Namibians relating their experiences, analysing the situation of gays and lesbians in our country and suggesting possible ways forward. On this panel we will also have three international guests.

On Thursday, a panel will look at how HIV/Aids has impacted on minorities in Namibia, in particular women, children, people with disability and sexual minorities. Panellists will also share why an inclusive process will be the only way to successfully beat this pandemic.

The Human Rights march at 12:00 on Friday will certainly be one of the highlights of our week. With this march, which will start at the Kudu in Independence Avenue, we want to remind government and the broader Namibian public that for development to be vigorous and beneficial to all, human rights need to be in the forefront. While conditions in Namibia could be described as "not bad", it is far from satisfactory and much needs to be done by government, civil society and the different Namibian communities at large.