Editorial: promulgating sexism within gay struggle

By Mashilo Mnisi (BTM Editor)

May 23, 2007: In an International Lesbian and Gay Association’s (ILGA) statement on State-fuelled homophobia that’s ubiquitous in the world there’re two concerns that attracted my attention.

Coincided with the International Day Against Homophobia last week Thursday celebrated each year, the ILGA’s statement outlined the most debated issues – for instance, it first puts the notion of sexism on the spotlight and secondly the infestation of homophobia that overshadowed Africa than any continent in the world.

Homophobia is rife in Africa, and talking about legalising it is something of obsolete. Many states in the continent are extremely adamant to recognise homosexuals, let alone legalising same sex marriages with the exception of South Africa although there is some grapevine going on that the community on the ground is overall not settled with it.

It’s a fact that almost 99 percent of African states deplore homosexuality, and South Africa is the only country on the map to legalise gay marriages. This reflects how backward and perhaps primitive the countries are – refusing to adopt change, especially stubborn countries as Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Nigeria, Namibia, Uganda and Botswana.

Like with what many countries do by discriminations at blood donations – where gay men aren’t allowed to donate blood without conditions, many African states encourage and justify discrimination within the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) sector as in the form of sexism.

Countries such as Malawi, Zambia, Ghana, The Gambia, Lesotho, Egypt, Namibia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Mauritius just to mention a few, promulgate legislations against homosexuality only aimed at gay men.

I think the sort of discrimination is just only nuance and therefore can be compared to the many repressions Africans endured and fought for. It is in fact visible.

If the states couldn’t see anything wrong with female-to-female relationships – of which there’s nothing wrong with that, therefore they wouldn’t see anything wrong with gay men; for which that would be the time to legalise homosexuality in the continent.

Note: The World Health Organisation (WHO) removed homosexuality from the list of mental illnesses since 17 May 1990.