The same-sex question remains unanswered

Wednesday, August 09, 2023 | 480 Views |

To the streets: Churches and members of the LGBTQI community recently held demonstrations in Gaborone over the proposed same-sex relations bill

The deferral – not withdrawal – of the same sex bill proposed for Parliament means the question of gay rights in the country, which has been raging over the decades, will take longer to answer. When or whether the legislation will ever return is anyone’s guess, writes Mmegi Correspondent, NNASARETHA KGAMANYANE

Nearly 30 years after the now famous incident in Maun when police raided two consenting men who were engaged in sexual intercourse, the country appears to be still battling the resolve the question of whether or not it accepts same sex relations.

The December 26, 1994 incident triggered a chain of events that led to the High Court which ruled in 2003 that, essentially, the country was not ready for homosexuality. More than a decade later, the Court of Appeal, the country’s highest court, ruled that in fact, Botswana was ready. The top court ruled that sections of the Penal Code criminalising same sex relations were unconstitutional and repealed them.

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