Winter of hope beckons for LGBTIs
Spira Tlhankane | Friday April 17, 2015 15:33
Goodhope-Mabule legislator, James Mathokgwane will carry the hopes of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) community with him when he re-enters the National Assembly for the winter session in July.
Mathokgwane recently represented Botswana at a SADC Parliamentary Forum dialogue on how regional states could improve access to HIV, and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) programmes for the LGBTI community.
The legislator plans to challenge his peers and the House of Chiefs on this matter in the upcoming session of Parliament, in order to ensure greater coverage of all Batswana in HIV and SRHR.
It is one thing to realise you do not conform to societal expectations of gender roles. But it is another, greater difficulty, to realise you cannot appropriately access basic health rights because of your sexual orientation.
That members of this cultural ‘sub-community’ have largely been excluded from the HIV and SRHR programmes that have proved successful within the general population over the years, can be seen in the statistics.
A 2012 study commissioned by the Ministry of Health to identify biological and behavioural barriers towards accessing HIV/AIDS healthcare, uncovered an HIV prevalence rate of 13.1 percent within a sample group of 781 ‘men who have sex with men’ or MSMs.This is compared to a national average of 18.5 percent.
The incidence of HIV or the number of new infections was estimated at 3.6 percent within MSMs, compared to 1.35 percent in the general population.
The prevalence of Sexually Transmitted Diseases within MSMs was also higher than the general population, with Chlamydia the leading infection, followed by gonorrhoea and syphilis.
The factors driving these discoveries were revealed in subsequent interviews with MSMs where a desperate picture of alienation slowly emerged.
“Going to hospital and telling people about my disease is a decision-making process,” said ‘study participant three’ speaking on seeking treatment for anal STIs.
“We don’t have an organisation that provides health services to gay men.”
Another added: “Health facilities are not accessible. For example, I get an STI from another man, but health professionals think that I got if from a woman. There is no chance to tell that I got it from another man.”
A 2013 MSM Global report entitled Achieving an AIDS-Free Generation for Gay Men and Other MSM suggests that donor-funding agreements mention the LGBTI community, but little programming specifically exists in Botswana.
The report, focusing on Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe identified criminalisation, stigma, and discrimination as the major factors impeding equity goals that are built into the country’s national strategic plan.
Where the report sees challenges, it also acknowledges positive change as some government officials begin to speak openly about the need to work with the LGBTI community for the holistic eradication of HIV and AIDS.
Empowered by the SADC PF dialogue, Mathokgwane is expected to take the lead in transforming the approach to health engagement with the LGBTI community.
“From the SADC PF, we are bringing it down to country level by engaging Parliament and the House of Chiefs,” he said in a recent interview.
“Health services are not conducive and the fight against HIV cannot be complete without engaging these people.”
He added that he hopes fellow parliamentarians will understand that people with different sexual orientation also have the right to good health.
The legislator plans to work with organisations such as the Botswana Network on Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS (BONELA), which has covered much ground on the matter over the years.
BONELA’s programme manager, Felistus Motimedi, explained the support the organisation is providing to the LGBTI community.
“The first one is called social and community mobilisation. We work with organisations and leaders to mobilise LGBTI people to access services,” she said in an interview.
“We also have a place where LGBTI can access services such as psychological support as we have realised that they have personal issues such as disclosure, acceptance and stigma.”
BONELA also provides clinical services for LGBTIs population as a way of easing their discomfort with general public health.
“We do HIV testing, STD treatment and other health related services,” she said.
“BONELA also provides legal aid for these people because they experience all sorts of abuse including insults, beating and being excluded from their homes.
“They face extortion and they are often arrested without charge.”
Motimedi said the organisation is looking forward to greater political engagement.
“We have worked with Parliament before, but our efforts were futile,” she said.
“Now we have to sort out a few logistics before engaging with this new Parliament.”
A fresh start could be just what the doctor ordered for the country’s LGBTI community.