Connect with us

Africa

Mauritius Pride march celebrates decriminalization ruling

Country’s Supreme Court this month issued landmark decision

Published

on

Mauritius' annual Pride parade took place on Oct. 21, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Collectif Arc-en-Ciel)

An LGBTQ rights organization in Mauritius on Oct. 21 held the country’s first Pride march in two years.

The march did not take place over the last two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic and a law that did not recognize consensual same-sex sexual relations. The Supreme Court on Oct. 4 declared Article 250 of the Penal Code that criminalized homosexuality unconstitutional.

Collectif Arc-en-Ciel said this year’s march held a special significance because it celebrated the Supreme Court rulling that struck down the 1838 penal code provision.

Running under the theme of “Together Always United in Diversity,” the march included several business leaders and representatives from the diplomatic corps as well as members of the LGBTQ community.

“The Supreme Court’s judgment on Section 250 is a significant step not only for LGBTQIA+ community members but for everyone advocating for a more inclusive society,” said Collectif Arc-en-Ciel President Ryan Ah Seek. “While we savor this victory, we are aware that there is much more to be done to end discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and the right to freedom of expression for LGBTQIA+ individuals.” 

Collectif Arc-en-Ciel Director Jean-Daniel Wong said Mauritians’ strength lies in unity and diversity, with a multisectoral approach involving all relevant stakeholders: Elected officials to the government, opposition, public and private institutions and civil society organizations.

“Only by being more united than ever, with a multisectoral approach and the support of the LGBTQIA+ community, can we continue to work together to promote greater equality within the diversity that characterizes the LGBTQIA+ community,” said Wong. “I warmly thank all those who have contributed once again to making this event a success through their presence and continued support, especially members of the diplomatic corps and leaders from the private sector.”

Seek stressed there is still work to be done to ensure LGBTQ Mauritians are fully integrated into society, despite the Supreme Court ruling. These include transgender rights, equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace and civil unions for same-sex couples.

Collectif Arc-en-Ciel notes there have been a few reported incidents of physical attacks on LGBTQ Mauritians in the country over the last couple of years. Hate speech from religious and traditional leaders, however, seems to be on the rise because of their large following and reverence they command from many aspects of society. This uptick, in turn, has forced some LGBTQ Mauritians not to publicly disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Muslim extremists in Port Louis, the Mauritian capital, a few weeks ago erected a billboard that castigated homosexuality. Collectif Arc-en-Ciel nevertheless feels the Supreme Court ruling will help reduce the attacks and allow Mauritians to understand the need to protect LGBTQ people.

“After 18 years of existence, of hard work against all odds, we are still here and committed to our community for a more inclusive and equal Mauritius,” said Wong. “We are full-fledged citizens of this country, and it is our duty to remain united and committed to advancing our rights as equal citizens.” 

Advertisement
FUND LGBTQ JOURNALISM
SIGN UP FOR E-BLAST

Namibia

Namibia’s new president promises equality, ‘prosperity for all’

Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah is country’s first female head of state

Published

on

Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah (Screen capture via Kenya Digital News/YouTube)

March 21 was a historic day for Namibia with the inauguration of Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, the country’s first female president who resoundingly won last November’s presidential election.

Nandi-Ndaitwah in her inaugural speech vowed to uphold the rights of every Namibian by bringing shared prosperity for all, and pledged to enhance gender parity across the country.

“The task facing me, as the fifth president of the Republic of Namibia, is to preserve the gains of our independence on all fronts and to ensure that the unfinished agenda of economic and social advancement of our people is carried forward with vigor and determination to bring about shared, balanced prosperity for all,” she said. “I am optimistic that, as a nation, we can make a success of our country. We must work together as a united people with one heart and one mind.”

Nandi-Ndaitwah’s remarks come at a time when LGBTQ Namibians face the possibility of being criminalized.

MP Jerry Ekandjo in 2023 tabled the Marriage Amendment Private Members’ Bill and Spouse Bill, which would have made same-sex marriages illegal, regardless of whether they had been legally performed outside Namibia. Those who would have violated the proposed law would have faced up to six years in prison, a $5,000 fine, or both.

Former President Nangolo Mbumba earlier this month refused to sign the bills into law because a majority of MPs did not pass them, and they presented constitutional challenges. Former Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety, and Security Minister Albert Kawana last July tabled the marriage proposal in parliament, and labeled the two bills as redundant.

The Marriage Bill, which became law on Oct. 2, 2024, exactly four months after Kawana tabled it, repealed the Marriage Act of 1961 and all its subsequent amendments, including the Supreme Court decision which recognized same-sex marriages legally performed outside Namibia.

The Marriage Act of 2024 says a marriage or marital union between persons of the same sex wherever conducted, or a marriage or marital union conducted in a country other than Namibia which cannot be validly conducted in Namibia is illegal. Anyone who violates the law can face up to four years in prison, a $1,000 fine, or both.

“This law impacts all Namibians, from stricter marriage age requirements to mandatory public notification of intended unions,” said Equal Rights Namibia, a Namibian LGBTQ advocacy group. “Its effects extend beyond same-sex couples, complicating cross-national marriages and limiting personal freedoms. Equal Namibia calls for strategic litigation support and Namibians whose rights are violated by this unconstitutional law to join us in our fight.”

Consensual same-sex sexual relations remain decriminalized following last July’s landmark High Court ruling that struck down Namibia’s apartheid-era sodomy laws.

“The Namibia High Court’s decision to overturn these laws and decriminalize consensual same-sex sexual conduct is a victory for love, for equality and for human rights,” said Khanyo Farise, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for East and Southern Africa. “This ruling is a step toward ending discrimination in equal access to health care and other social services and ensuring that all people in Namibia can choose their partners without fear of reprisals and live their lives in dignity.”

Continue Reading

Kenya

Outcome of transgender rights case in Kenya remains uncertain

Countryā€™s attorney general has asked High Court to dismiss lawsuit

Published

on

(Image by Bigstock)

Transgender Kenyansā€™ efforts to receive birth certificates that reflect their gender identity now hang in the balance, despite several legal victories.

Attorney General Dorcus Oduor has asked the High Court to dismiss a pending case that three trans people have filed. Oduor argues a person is born either ā€œa boy or a girlā€ and existing laws do not allow for anyone to change their sex in adulthood.

Oduor in her written submission to Justice Bahati Mwamuye also argues gender identity and the governmentā€™s issuance of a birth certificate are based on a personā€™s physical appearance. Her argument, however, exempts intersex people.

The government last month officially recognized intersex people in a Kenya Gazette notice that said they can receive birth certificates with an ā€œIā€ gender marker. The countryā€™s historic intersex rights law took effect in 2022.

ā€œThe existing laws of the land do not contemplateĀ changeĀ of gender, and marks of transgender are not a basis for determining oneā€™s gender as either male or female,ā€ Oduor states. Ā 

Oduor further maintains that a person’s feeling they are ā€œunwillingly living in a wrong bodyā€ cannot justify changing their gender. Oduor maintains a personā€™s gender is based on fact ā€” not feelings ā€” and the plaintiffs at birth were registered and named based on their gender status.

Audrey Mbugua, Maurene Muia, and Arnest Thaiya are the three trans people suing Oduor, the Registrar of Births and Deaths, the National Registration Bureau, and Immigration Services Director General Evelyn Cheluget in order to receive amended birth certificates.

The plaintiffs argue the current discrepancy in crucial documents ā€” birth certificates, national identification cards, and passports ā€” has denied them opportunities and rights. They disagree with Oduorā€™s position on determining oneā€™s sex, arguing the process is ā€œnot scientific, but subjective.ā€

ā€œThere are no identifiers of sex or definitions of the biological or psychological components of sex,ā€ the plaintiffs argue. ā€œIn any event, such biological components cannot be limited to genitalia only, but also chromosomes, gonads, hormones, and the brain.ā€ 

They further maintain that trans people cannot be forced to live with names of the wrong gender as adults. Oduor, however, maintains that only mistakes, such as spelling errors or parents in ID documents, can be changed and not a gender marker.  

Amka Africa Justice, Jinsiangu (ā€œmy genderā€) Kenya, and the Kenya Human Rights Commission are among the advocacy groups that have joined the case.

Mbugua, a well-known trans activist, has been pushing for legal rights in the court for more than a decade.

She filed a lawsuit in which she demanded the government identify her as a woman and to be allowed to live as one, not as a male as she was registered at birth. A landmark ruling in 2014 ordered the Kenya National Examinations Council to change Mbugua’s name and replace the gender marker on her academic certificates.Ā 

Mbugua also founded Transgender Education and Advocacy, a group with more than 100 members. A long court battle that ultimately proved successful allowed Transgender Education and Advocacy to become the first publicly-funded trans rights organization in Kenya.

Transgender Education and Advocacyā€™s initiatives include offering legal aid to trans people seeking to change their names, photos, and gender markers in documents, pushing for legal reforms to end discrimination based on gender identity and expression, and providing economic assistance to trans people who want to overcome poverty and sexual exploitation.

Jinsiangu Kenya, established in 2018, also champions equal access to health care and other basic services without discrimination based on gender identity and expression.

AĀ report that Jinsiangu Kenya released in July 2021 notes 63 percent of trans people surveyed did not have ID documents or records with gender markers that coincide with their gender identity.Ā The report also notes 10 percent of trans people surveyed said officials denied them an ID card or passport, and they were unemployed because they did not have the proper documents.

Continue Reading

Kenya

Queer Kenyans with HIV/AIDS face double burden of stigma, discrimination

Advocacy group released findings of 2024 report on March 3

Published

on

Kenyan flag (Photo by rarrarorro/Bigstock)

Queer Kenyans living with HIV/AIDS face the double burden of stigma and discrimination due to their LGBTQ identities and HIV status.

The National Empowerment Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS in Kenya (NEPHAK)’s latest report notes this reality, while also revealing queer people stigmatize and discriminate against each other because of their HIV status.

The 2024 report titled “People Living with HIV Stigma Index Assessment,” which NEPHAK released on March 3, notes that although stigma and discrimination vary across different populations in Kenya, queer people are more affected because of the double burdens of LGBTQ identities and HIV-positive status.

ā€œFor instance, gays or men who have sex with men (MSM) reported feeling marginalized and devalued, often being labelled as immoral and worthless individuals with a bleak future,ā€ states the 78-page report. ā€œThey frequently bore the blame for their HIV-positive status and shunned by family, friends, and neighbors who caution their children against associating with them.ā€

The NEPHAK survey sampled a total of 1,305 people living with HIV/AIDS across the country, of which 322 or 24.6 percent were key populations that include gay men, transgender people, sex workers, and people who inject drugs. Eighty-five of the 322 people from key populations surveyed were gay men, while 60 were trans.

The surveyā€™s 21-member National Steering Committee of which Women Fighting AIDS in Kenya CEO Dorothy Onyango is chair, includes Solomon Wambua of the Key Populations Consortium, Ludfine Bunde from UNAIDS, and Allan Maleche from KELIN Kenya, a group that champions equal access to healthcare for LGBTQ people and others.

The reportā€™s general findings note that HIV-related stigma and discrimination remain a concern in Kenya, with low HIV disclosure levels within the family. For instance, it reveals 56 percent of respondents confirmed their spouses knew their HIV status, while only 28.7 said their children knew. The survey also notes roughly half of respondents said their partners were HIV positive, whereas 36.5 percent said their partners are negative.  

With regards to HIV testing, 62.5 percent of respondents voluntarily chose to get tested while 97.2 percent of respondents said they were on HIV treatment.  

The report also states 15.3 percent of respondents had their HIV status revealed to others by healthcare workers without their consent at healthcare facilities. Twenty-nine percent said they were unsure if their medical records are kept confidential.

The survey lists discriminatory remarks from other people at 27.8 percent, discriminatory comments from family members and friends at 24 percent, and verbal harassment at 22 percent as the top three HIV-related stigma and discrimination that people living with the virus face.

ā€œAs recounted by people living with HIV who participated in the 2024 Stigma Index study, there is no way the country will deliver on the 95.95.95 HIV Treatment targets and join the world in the path to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 if HIV-related stigma and discrimination is not tackled,ā€ Onyango.

She reiterated HIV-related stigma and discrimination continue to hamper HIV prevention efforts, treatment, and care interventions in all of Kenya’s 47 counties and among all populations.

ā€œStigma experienced by adolescent girls and young women and key populations, whether sex workers, men who have sex with men, transgender persons and people who inject drugs/ people who use drugs, remain high,ā€ Onyango stated.

The stigma breakdown for key populations by the report reveals 48.3 percent of trans people reported experiencing verbal harassment, 31.7 percent reported instances of blackmail, and 28.3 percent admitted they do not seek health care. Another 36.7 percent of respondents said their families discriminate against the because of their gender identity. Of the 60 trans people surveyed, 41, or 68.3 percent, said they belong to a network or support group for trans people.

Almost half, or 48.2 percent, of the 85 gay people surveyed said they experience verbal harassment and 50 percent indicated family and friends discriminate against them. Another 39.5 percent said they are afraid to seek health care; 38.8 percent avoided seeking medical treatment due to concerns about their identity being exposed, while 81.2 percent said they belong to an MSM network.

ā€œMany MSM felt compelled to conceal their identity and remained closeted, further isolating themselves from support networks. These discriminatory attitudes also deterred MSM from seeking essential healthcare services, as they feared judgement and condemnation,ā€ reads the report.

It further notes MSM basic rights are frequently disregarded or denied, making them vulnerable to verbal and physical assaults, insecure, and marginalized. Religious communities also promote stigma that further isolates gay people and contributes to their isolation.

ā€œI have experienced discrimination and stigma in church where the MSM have been branded evil and linked to sin. We have been called purveyors of immorality and disease by pastors,ā€ an unnamed MSM from Mombasa told NEPHAK researchers. ā€œAdditionally, there have been instances of discrimination among my MSM friends who are HIV negative, for example, when they refuse to share drinks with those of us who are HIV positive.ā€

Another MSM living with HIV noted disclosing his status is very difficult and their family and community because of stigma, even from a partner.

ā€œIt happened that I went to a certain facility and one of the health workers said to me, the activities you engage in (having sex with fellow men) should be prayed for so that you stop as they are putting you at risk,ā€ they told NEPHAK researchers.  

Some MSM living with HIV, however, noted joining support groups after they learned their status has had a positive impact.  

ā€œMeeting up with people who have the same status has been comforting,” one MSM told NEPHAK researchers. “This is because we get to share our ideas and experiences, as well as give each other advice on how to live positively.

The report urges relevant organizations and the Key Population Consortium to create awareness campaigns to tackle stigma and discrimination against queer people with HIV/AIDS. It also calls for households, communities, and relevant institutions to become more sensitive to the promotion and protection of the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS and working with religious leaders to address HIV-related stigma and discrimination.

The report further urges relevant health institutions and partner organizations to expand knowledge of the law, privacy and confidentiality among officials, administrators, clergy, and the general public.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Advertisement

Sign Up for Weekly E-Blast

Follow Us @washblade

Advertisement

Popular