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We have a Prime Minister who denies our existence, and we have a Ministry of Health, that refuses to acknowledge who we are. That would be the most fundamental gain in our advocacy. What is the biggest challenge facing the LGBT community in Swaziland?īasic government recognition. They are sadly supported by government sentiments, of the nonexistence of LGBT persons in the country. However, there are those hell-bent on seeing us perish. We have people that are welcoming and want to learn more about LGBT persons. It is easier for the brave, but the truth of the matter is, I should not have to be brave for me to fit in any society societies should be welcoming of all persons. How are LGBT people treated by the rest of society? All these can easily go unpunished, because the government insists that we do not exist. People are fired from their jobs based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Hospitals continue to discriminate based on sexual orientation. We have the daily persecution in terms of verbal attacks, and even systematic exclusions from basic human rights. It is not a conducive environment to live in, where you are told not to worry, you will not get shot, but there is the gun pointing directly at you. The government says they will not prosecute consenting male adults, but we say, ‘you cannot be holding a gun at me, and argue that your policy is not to shoot’. So while there are no prosecutions that could change any time… For instance, under the Criminal Procedures Act of 1938, I can be arrested without a warrant, if I am suspected to have committed sodomy. However, that is a different case from police procedures. The government has repeatedly assured us that it is their policy not to prosecute. There hasn’t been any prosecution that we have encountered. Melusi Simelane (Photo courtesy of Mamba Online) For instance, the protections enshrined in the constitution exclude sexual orientation.Īre LGBT people actively prosecuted by the authorities? Otherwise, there is a legal vacuum in terms of protection from discrimination. We have the common law offences that include the offence of sodomy. What is the legal status of LGBT people in Swaziland at the moment? Mambaonline asked Simelane about the challenges of being LGBT in Swaziland and his organisation’s plans to put on the Pride event. The government has even questioned whether LGBTI people actually exist in the country. King Mswati has reportedly called same-sex relationships “satanic”, and Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini has described homosexuality as “an abnormality and a sickness”.
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It’s also not a welcome environment for LGBT people. The nation is bedevilled by poverty, TB and HIV (it has one of highest infection rates in the world) as well as human rights issues, including the suppression of political dissent.
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Swaziland, a small landlocked country in Southern Africa, is ruled by King Mswati III, alongside a parliament but he has the final say on appointing judges, the country’s prime minister and a number of representatives in parliament. The organisation has been running an online campaign through All Out to raise funds to host the historic event. Simelane is Communications Manager for The Rock of Hope, the country’s most prominent LGBT group. The messages will be collected on this page.Īfrica-based MambaOnline published a Q&A interview about the event with Swaziland activist Melusi Simelane: Hope and defiance – Swaziland aims to hold its first LGBT PrideĪmid plans to hold the first-ever Swaziland Pride, Mambaonline spoke to activist Melusi Simelane about LGBT life in one of the world’s last remaining absolute monarchies. Post it on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram using the hashtag #AllOutSwazi.
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