Africa: Queering Africa’s Women’s Day: Voices of Courage and Change

Nairobi — Africa’s Women’s Day, celebrated annually on 31 July, marks the contributions of our foremothers who championed liberation and development across the continent.

Yet, for many women, including queer African women and mothers of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) children, the fight for dignity, freedom, and liberation is far from over. Their experiences, often fraught with discrimination and violence, highlight the urgent need for inclusive policies that ensure their safety and equality.

Hate is not an African value.

Historically, African women have played a crucial role in the continent’s social, political, and economic progress. However, many African countries maintain laws that criminalize consensual same-sex relationships, perpetuating violence and discrimination against queer women. In the past decade, while some countries have made strides in decriminalizing same-sex relationships, a dangerous trend of draconian anti-gender, anti-LGBT laws has emerged.

VIDEO: “Love Is a Human Right. Love has no gender.”

These laws, favoring state-sponsored homophobia and transphobia, exacerbate the dangers faced by queer individuals, their families, and allies. This reinforces inequality and emboldens perpetrators of sexual and gender-based violence. The compounded effects of homophobia and sexism place affected women in an especially precarious position.

Across the continent, LGBT women risk facing criminal charges for their relationships, as well as sexual violence, blackmail, threats, and even death. These dangers may lead to queer women being forced to marry a male partner against their will, for safety and economic survival.

The fight for women’s rights must be inclusive.

This environment of intolerance and violence undermines their equal rights to privacy, free expression, and bodily autonomy, often preventing them from reporting abuses due to fear of prosecution, reprisal, and societal stigma. Denying basic human rights based on sexual orientation or gender identity is a violation of the nondiscrimination obligations guaranteed by various constitutions and the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the rights of women in Africa.

Queer women in Africa face discrimination at every turn. Mothers of LGBT children risk stigmatization within their extended families and communities and face legal repercussions for supporting their children. In many school systems, students face bullying and discrimination due to a lack of recognition and protection for diverse families as well as biased, judgmental educational curricula that encourage exclusion and persecution of queer people. This climate threatens women’s right to family life and fosters impunity for crimes against their children.

 Messages of love from queer African mothers and mothers of LGBT children

On this African Women’s Day – at the intersection of gender equality, freedom from discrimination, and family rights for all women – queer women and mothers of LGBT children are courageously speaking out, sharing a message of love, acceptance and solidarity. We have collected hundreds of these powerful messages, from Burkina Faso, and Uganda to South Africa, calling for an end to discrimination and violence. These messages serve as powerful reminders of these women’s strength and resilience in a context where they are constantly deprived of the freedom to love.

Samimi, a mother from Burkina Faso, writes, “To all LGBT children, your courage inspires change.” A mother in Senegal says, “You are not cursed. Wipe away your tears. I’ll always be there for you.” In Rwanda, a mother affirms her love for her daughter and grandson, born of a same-sex relationship. A lesbian mother in Bouaké, Ivory Coast, writes, “To my daughter, mothers, queer women and all LGBTIQ+ children, you are loved, you are precious. Stay proud of who you are.” A mother in Abidjan writes, “To my daughter and to people in all their diversity, I ask you to be yourselves. Live and be happy, you’re not hurting anyone.” In Uganda, mothers write ‘African LGBTIQ Individuals can’t be legislated out of existence’. These inspiring women want LGBT Africans to know that they are loved and accepted. Their heartfelt messages echo across the continent, underscoring the universal desire for equality and nondiscrimination.

Senegalese mother: You are not cursed. Wipe away your tears. I’ll always be there for you.

As thousands of African women’s rights groups celebrate this day, it is crucial for all of us to remember that the fight for women’s rights must be inclusive. Ignoring or neglecting the existence and rights of queer women exacerbates discrimination and emboldens violence against gender and sexual minorities.

Hate is not an African value. The fight against all forms of misogyny and patriarchal structures should equally address transphobia and homophobia. Sexism and homophobia are two sides of the same coin, and our struggle for justice must be comprehensive and unwavering.

Larissa Kojoue is a researcher at Human Rights Watch. Clare Byarugaba is an LGBTIQ activist with Chapter Four Uganda. Miss Lylie is the Executive Director of WOMA Media