Lesbians decry abuse at the hands of family
Monday, November 27, 2023 | 380 Views |

LGBTQI member PIC: PHATSIMO KAPENG
Recently, Success Capital had a pre-commemoration of 16 Days Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) which intended to shed light on challenges that some members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning (LGBTQI) go through every day.
A 19-year-old *Masego Kedisaletse said her mother did not know that she was dating girls all this while. However her aunt, after seeing her TikTok videos, told her mother that she is a lesbian. “My mother called and told me to never set foot at home or talk to her face-to-face. I want to see if she will chase me away from home. I think my aunt influences her. I have a cousin who has accepted me as I am. I have not seen my mother for months and I intend to go to my home village in December.
She always knew I was different and we never had any problems about who I am,” she said. Kedisaletse pointed out that she came to Gaborone three years ago to study. However, she did not complete her studies because she failed a module. She is currently unemployed. For her part, *Candice Molema said she was brought up by her grandparents. Even though they suspected she was a lesbian because of the way she dressed, she tried to convince them that she dressed up like a tomboy, because she played soccer.
They did not buy into that and told her they would not accept a lesbian in their home and kicked her out. She went to live with her paternal aunt who also refuses to help her whenever she needs toiletries and any other items. *Dimakatso Dikeledi, could not finish her story as she broke into tears. She said she was kicked out of her home after her family discovered that she was a lesbian adding that the pain and suffering were too much to bear. *Boitshwaro Golekwa said she grew up in an abusive family.
Her father used to beat her mother in their presence. She said everyone in the village knew about the predicament, adding that her family was made the butt of the joke by the villagers, something she could not stomach anymore. After failing her junior certificate exams, she fled to Gaborone and never looked back. Since she was a good footballer, she found a career playing the sport and was rescued by her coach, who welcomed her into their home with open arms.
“After telling my coach about my life. She accepted me in her home and treated me like her child. Life is not easy, but I am trying my best to survive. I am not close to most of my siblings, but I have one sister who stays outside the city and we communicate now and then,” she said.
We duly congratulate them to have ousted the long ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) from power. Prior to taking power from the BDP, the coalition had made several election promises that are credited for influencing change and swaying the people to vote in its favour.The party had made an undertaking, which its leader and President Duma Boko consistently bellowed in his campaign trail. These undertakings were promises that Batswana would be...