LGBTIQ rights in Africa: the state in the entire continent nowMuch is spoken by different people from many parts of the world regarding LGBTIQ people. However, this is its state across the continent.
by Agence France-Presse
29-05-2023 16:59
in Culture
The state of LGBTIQ Rights across Africa.
Image: pexels.com
In recent years several African countries have decriminalised same-sex relationships. But they're not representative of the continent. In fact, queer rights at times appear to be eroding in much of the continent, with Kenya and Uganda most recently in the news for harsh laws and violence against members of the LGBTIQ community. We asked sociologist and queer studies scholar Zethu Matebeni five questions.
--
How would you describe the state of LGBTIQ rights? The state of LGBTIQ rights on the continent could be described as being on a continuum of seven possible stages, as suggested by US legal scholar Adam Kretz. These move from total marginalisation to cultural integration. The position in the continuum is determined by a country's laws and its political, social and cultural conditions.
ALSO READ: Eswatini Supreme Court hears LGBTIQ group's registration case
There are countries - such as Nigeria, Mauritania, Sudan, and Somalia - that impose bans, lengthy jail terms, ostracism, or a death penalty on anyone displaying same-sex affection and lesbian, gay or transgender identity or existence. Most countries - such as Algeria, The Gambia, Malawi, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe - remain in the second stage of the continuum, maintaining criminalisation of LGBTIQ persons.
--
There are also a number of African countries - such as Angola, Cape Verde, Gabon, Cote d'Ivoire, Lesotho, Rwanda, to name a few - that have reached the third stage of decriminalisation of non-heterosexual sexuality. This makes it possible for LGBTIQ persons to attain rights and work towards changing societal attitudes.
ALSO READ: Uganda's anti-homosexuality bill wants to rehabilitate' LGBTIQ people Only a handful of countries - such as Mauritius, Botswana, Mozambique, Seychelles and South Africa - have codified their laws to make sure that LGBTIQ people are protected against discrimination. Although no African country has reached the end of the continuum - cultural integration - there are some that are trying to establish positive rights and full legal equality. Non-heterosexual acts have always been part of the African fabric and ways of being. Colonial laws have ensured they are considered un-African, against the order of nature and criminal.
Where is it safest to live as a LGBTIQ person - on paper? Queer people are everywhere and try to create safe spaces for themselves wherever they are. Safety is not only about what rights exist on paper. It's also about social conditions and attitudes of others about LGBTIQ people in that society.
--
Take South Africa as an example. It might be easy to say it's safer, on paper, to live there because of its laws and the rights given to LGBTIQ persons. But the reality may be different. Racial discrimination, economic insecurity, being considered a foreigner, sexual violence and many other factors contribute to making a place unsafe.
ALSO READ: Uganda anti-LGBTIQ bill protests for Pretoria and Cape Town
The country's high rates of femicide and sexual violence against women, girls and queer persons make it an unsafe place to live as a black and African queer person. Similarly, while South Africa may be ahead of others in the continent because of laws which allow a person to change their sex, these laws still carry certain conditions. These make it difficult for many transgender and intersex persons to live their full lives.
Where is it least safe? In over 30 countries in Africa LGBTIQ people would face imprisonment. It is difficult to live in a place where you are not wanted and constantly face arrest, violence, torture and persecution. Uganda has just signed into law the most extreme legislation against the LGBTIQ community, the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. This imposes the death penalty, life imprisonment or between 10 and 20 years in prison for attempted homosexuality and promotion of homosexuality .
ALSO READ: World condemns Uganda's anti-LGBTIQ bill
Why do these rights matter? LGBTIQ rights matter because they are fundamental human rights that ensure that every person is treated with dignity and respect regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression. Ensuring that LGBTIQ individuals have access to basic human rights such as the right to freedom of expression, assembly, and association promotes democracy, heterogeneity, social justice and equality.
LGBTIQ rights matter because they recognise that everyone has the right to live their lives without fear of harassment, violence or persecution. With these rights it would be possible to fight discrimination, inequality and injustice in many societies while ensuring that everyone benefits from full access to rights.
ALSO READ: Court victory for LGBTIQ community in Kenya
What needs to be done about it? Legal, cultural, social, political and economic barriers would need to be lifted to advance LGBTIQ rights and promote greater inclusion. For many countries that are still in the first and second stage of the continuum, legal reform would need to be prioritised. Cultural and social factors to be addressed would include educating the public about diversity and difference.
Activists are already doing a lot, some with limited or no resources. Support of activist initiatives and organisations working on LGBTIQ issues, health issues, gender equity, advocacy for equality and social justice would need to be strengthened. This would ensure that these activities speak directly to policy issues.
ALSO READ: Uganda passes horror
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
06/12/2025
In a live broadcast from the Reagan National Defense Forum, L3Harris Chair and CEO Christopher Kubasik joined Morgan Brennan on CNBCs Closing Bell: Overtime. Ku...
06/12/2025
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. A new survey from Pixitmedia by Datacore revealed a major shift in the Media & Entertainment industry in media archiving, with 85% of resp...
06/12/2025
HACKENSACK, N.J. LiveU has announced that the national public broadcaster Czech Television has completed one of the largest LiveU live production deployments fo...
06/12/2025
NEW YORK The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) presented the Excellence in Production Technology Emmy Award to NASA+ and Dr. Tom Leight...
05/12/2025
2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nati...
05/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Veritone's Sean King on the Power of Mining Video, Audio DataThe company's Data Refinery offers users total control and governance over da...
05/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: Inside the Nashville Predators' Unified, Flexible, Sca...
05/12/2025
Netflix Reaches Agreement To Acquire Warner Bros. Following Planned WBD SplitThe deal does not include WBDs sports assets like TNT Sports (US, UK, LatAm), Euros...
05/12/2025
FOX Sports Returns to Indianapolis for Primetime Broadcast of Big Ten Championsh...
05/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Digital Engagement & Monetization Workshop Tackles the ...
05/12/2025
Atlanta United Lights Up New Emory Healthcare Studio With First Live Broadcast f...
05/12/2025
As Messi Takes the Pitch, MLS, Apple, NEP Roll Out Largest MLS Cup Production Ev...
05/12/2025
ESPN Enters College Football's Most Intense Month With Elevated Workflows fo...
05/12/2025
It's about that time! Awards season is in full swing, and the Film Independe...
05/12/2025
Every year, Spotify Wrapped offers a personalized look back at the audio that defined your year. It's a snapshot of your listening habits, designed to tell ...
05/12/2025
In 2025, Spotify's EQUAL, GLOW, and RADAR programs celebrated women, LGBTQIA , and emerging artists who turned moments into milestones. From breaking record...
05/12/2025
In our latest blog, we explain how Wi-Fi 7 rollouts can drive consumer loyalty with value-add services such as consumer cybersecurity. We also explore how this ...
05/12/2025
LOS ANGELES Netflix announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Nielsens Gracenote has launched Gracenote Content Connect, a new ad platform that provides agencies, brands, supply-side platforms (SSPs) and demand-si...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK In an most important update to the workings of deal-based programmatic advertising, IAB Tech Lab has released version 1.0 of its Deals API for public c...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Pass the turkey. Pass the stuffing. Pass the cranberry sauce. All are common requests of Americans celebrating Thanksgiving Day with family and f...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. Netflix announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has approved AT&T's $1.02 billion acquisition of spectrum from UScellular in a decision that was issued sho...
05/12/2025
The Best Coldplay Songs: 21 Tracks That Shoot for the Stars From Yellow to Viva La Vida, Fix You to Paradise, this playlist goes back to the start.
December ...
05/12/2025
Zafris Lecture Series Brings Nabil Ayers to Berklee The 32nd annual James G. Zafris Distinguished Lecture series was held on Thursday, November 13, with guest...
05/12/2025
Introducing New Perks to Help You Get Even More from LinkedIn Premium Published on Dec 5, 2025 Categories: Company News, Product News
LinkedIn Corporate Co...
05/12/2025
Friday 5 December 2025
A new Game of Thrones Tale: Official trailer for Sky Exc...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Don Lee, Lee Jin-uk, and Lalisa Manobal to Star in Netflix Act...
05/12/2025
Tis the season of giving once again and this year we've taken our Give Back Fridays' concept and turned it on its head.
In the autumn we were approach...
05/12/2025
Brayden Gogis doesn't remember a time when he wasn't completely fixated on games in all forms. In preschool, when they asked us to dress up as what we ...
05/12/2025
The Grinch steals the spotlight as the theme for The Late Late Toy Show 2025
Tune in tonight at 9:35pm on RT One and worldwide on RT Player
#LateLateToyShow...
05/12/2025
RT Announces New Presenters of Flagship News Programmes
New RT Six One News co-presenter Tommy Meskill
Sarah McInerney & Justin McCarthy join Morning Ir...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & ...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir AJA Ki Pro Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & just:in linux
More Details:Starting with version 5.5, both just:in mac pro and just:in linux sol...
04/12/2025
Wangu Kanuri from Kenya and Godwin Asediba from Ghana are two of this years finalists for Thomsons Young Journalist of the Year Award. The pair are runners-up i...
04/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: ProximaVision's Claudio Lisman on Why Tethered Drones Could Be...
04/12/2025
SVG Campus Shot Callers: Imry Halevi, Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Co...
04/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: LiveU Lightweight Sports Production: A Step Change in Spor...
04/12/2025
London to Riyadh: DAZN brings the boxing glamour to new production levels for Be...
04/12/2025
Analysis: Paramount bets on the battering ram' with Champions League play By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 10:12
Print ...
04/12/2025
Space City Home Network Launches SCHN DTC App for Astros and RocketsThe Rockets and Astros were previously the lone NBA and MLB teams without a DTC appBy Jason...
04/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Content Workflows Workshop Spotlights Evolution of Spor...
04/12/2025
New Sponsor Spotlight: Geotech's Patrick Wambold On the Unreal Engine Revolu...
04/12/2025
Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nationally and RegionallyBy Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Thursday, December 4, 2025 - 1:52 pm
Print This Sto...
04/12/2025
(L-R) Rebecca Lichtenfeld, Mohammadreza Eyni, Sara Khaki, and Judith Helfand att...
04/12/2025
SBS launches Future Frames initiative to support emerging First Nations video ed...
LGBTIQ rights in Africa: the state in the entire continent nowMuch is spoken by different people from many parts of the world regarding LGBTIQ people. However, this is its state across the continent.
