By Tilda Christensson | Head of Project Development
Dear Supporters,
People across the world tend to believe that it is illegal to be gay; hindering people and organisations to do any work that addressing the subject. This is however a skewed perception. It is not illegal to be gay, to think and have an identity. What is illegal are the actions. Therefore, work can still be done to advocate for the cause and speak up, even if such efforts must be done with caution.
The LGBTQ community in Zimbabwe started to gain momentum after Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980, thus it did not really start to get mobilised until the 1990s. By then it was predominantly white men who were active in advocacy efforts not truly reflecting the rainbow community in Zimbabwe. The mobilisation reached its peak in 2000, thus with people starting to seek asylum the community decreased within Zimbabwe. When organisations started to become more open about their existence and their work, the community started to be more diverse to include the black communities as well as women. Although people are leaving the country in the hope of a better and freer future, change is taking place in the nation. Younger generations tend to be more open and accepting of the LGBTQ community, providing hope and momentum yet again continue to push. The president, government and large church leaders continue to speak out against Gay Rights, causing oppression; lack of freedom of expression; lack of health support and as the nations economy continues to deteriorate, less resources are made available to those who struggle, especially in Zimbabwe which has one of the highest HIV/AIDS prevailances in the world.
Nonetheless, the work continues and by providing legal support, educational outreach programs and healthcare to those suffering from opression must continue whilst the larger advocacy is taking place to change the constitution and removes discrimination based on sexual orientation.
We need to collect stories, get the truth of what is happening out in the open and fight for those who are in Zimbabwe and unable to fight for themselves. By donating to GVI Trust’s LGBTQ project in Zimbabwe, you are supporting that everyone has Human Rights and will not be discriminated against based on sexual orientation. The journey is long and hard and whilst the younger generations are more open we cannot stop advocating.
Thank you to everyone who has donated and supporting our cause, lets not give up!
With Gratitude,
Zimbabwe LGBTQ
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