Being gay in southern Africa.

No, I am not a fan of “yellow journalism” and I don’t approve of sensationalism. Yes, I am in South Africa right now which logically enough is located in southern Africa but I am not homosexual, which probably makes you wonder why I am writing this blog. Well, in the last few months I have had some interesting conversations with coworkers and friends, mostly all male, about the way homosexuality is viewed in South Africa and Mozambique.

It seems that a lot of the discomfort or dislike around the topic of homosexuality comes from lack of knowledge about homoe or direct contact with people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, etc. Homosexuality is not a topic that I openly discussed with many Mozambicans, if any, while living in Mozambique for 2 ½ years. This goes back to our training with Peace Corps when I clearly remember in one of our sessions being told “we have no problems with your sexuality and you are free to be who you want to be but we highly recommend that if you are gay, lesbian, etc. you keep it to yourself as being this way can be dangerous in Mozambique.” That is right sexuality is not only a taboo topic in Mozambique and to a lesser degree here in South Africa but also one that can be dangerous. Sadly enough this comes as no surprise as I have heard of hate killings around the world that involved homosexuals who were killed due purely to their sexuality.

As I said above homosexuality is a less discussed or known topic in Mozambique than South Africa and I am sure that many Mozambicans who are homosexual or homosexuals that visit Mozambique as tourists or for work would say that outside of the capitol, Maputo, homosexuality is a very taboo topic. It is sad to me that people are not more accepting and loving but we all are entitled to our own beliefs as long as these beliefs don’t hurt others or infringe on others rights. I imagine that in Mozambique especially before “democracy” came while Mozambique had strong links to Communist countries, being gay was particularly unsafe. I heard stories from one friend about a gay Mozambican man who was beaten up by some younger Mozambicans who were tired of his advances and flirting with them. I also heard that two girls in their early 20’s who come from Chókwè, where I lived in Mozambique, have been “dressing and acting like boys” for many years now and while most people who know them seem to have gotten used to it they are still not fully accepted by society.

As for South Africa which boasts one of the most progressive and all inclusive constitutions in the world, and is leaps ahead of the US Constitution, homosexuals are protected. It looks like an amendment will soon be made that legalizes “same-sex marriages”. On December 1^st last year South Africa’s highest court (the Constitutional Court) legalized same-sex marriages but said that Parliament had one year to put everything in place before it became law. Needless to say this is a hot topic here and many people are not happy that South Africa might soon be joining the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Canada as only the fifth nation in the world to legalize same-sex unions.

I am sure that I will have more information to share on this story over the coming months as I discuss homosexuality with more people. If you want to know more about the situation in South Africa as far as same-sex unions go please read articles from the following sources:

SABC News

Reuters

International Herald Tribune