mmegi

Churches called to peacefully coexist with LGBTQI community

Reverent Mampane
Reverent Mampane

In Botswana where nearly 80% of people identify themselves as Christians, religion permeates society. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI) people face widespread stigma, exclusion and discrimination, including from education, employment and health care. Many LGBTQI persons face targeted physical attacks and extreme violence, sometimes from church members. Mmegi correspondent NNASARETHA KGAMANYANE writes

Oarabile*, a gay man in his early 20s never missed church as a child.

“Once I started opening up about my sexuality, people started looking at me differently. I could see the disgust in their faces. My parents started being ashamed of me. They would ask me why I could not behave like other ‘normal’ boys,” Oarabile said.

Editor's Comment
Gov't must empower DCEC urgently

As the new Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) government takes charge, it must act decisively to equip the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) with the tools, laws, and resources needed to combat graft. The time for half-measures is over. DCEC Director-General, Botlhale Makgekgenene’s, recent address to the Public Accounts Committee paints a stark picture. Over five years, leadership instability, chronic underfunding and weak...

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