Being Gay in Africa

In most places in Africa it is illegal to be homosexual; this includes Mozambique. Only South Africa, with its post-apartheid Rainbow Nation embracing of all forms of legal equality, has a progressive stance on sexual orientation, even sanctioning gay marriage. On the rest of the continent gays live in constant fear of being discovered and imprisoned. This fear played out recently in neighboring Malawi where two men were arrested for attempting to marry and sentenced to 14 years jail time. Elsewhere in Africa Uganda was debating a law to implement the death penalty for acts of homosexuality. International pressure from Obama, the United Nations, and the European Union prevented this measure from becoming law, but public support on the continent shows how intolerant many Africans remain. In cultures which prizes fertility, family, and traditional gender roles, any deviation from heterosexuality is strictly taboo. Even the participants at our Peace Corps
youth conference, selected for their leadership on gender issues, expressed openly homophobic opinions and support for the existing legal prohibitins here in Mozambique. These realities are especially difficult for the gay and lesbian volunteers serving in this region. As community guests, Peace Corps Volunteers must always balance their own views and lifestyles with their hosts' value system; grappling with these types of dilemmas is part of our job. Thankfully the President of Malawi, after a visit from the UN Secretary General issued a full pardon to the imprisoned gay couple despite continuing official and public disapproval of their lifestyle.