By 
By Hellen Mutizamhepo
Discrimination, exclusion and violent attacks are often endured by gays and lesbians in Zimbabwe such that they have to hide their sexual identity.
The stigma attached to their unique traits instils permanent fear and loneliness amongst them while many suffer from poor mental health.
Many LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, intersexual) people in Zimbabwe suffer from low self-esteem; they are isolated and often depressed.
However, only few dare to disclose their sexual orientation.
Ten percent of Zimbabwe’s population are estimated to be gay or lesbian – “We were born like this they simply say.”
Negative attitudes towards people of the LGBTI community are highly prevalent. Which gets them largely rejected by society and their affiliation considered a taboo.
It is misunderstood as a form of psychiatric problem in some circles.
Emanuel (Not his real name) related some of the experiences people of his orientation face in society.
“They accuse me of what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah, of being the most sinful person of our time,’ he relates.
Another member of the LGBTI community, Prince (not his real name) echoed that he was working as a carpenter at a local furniture company in Harare and was unfortunately fired for being gay.
“I used to work as a carpenter; the employers accused me of a probability that I was going to rape my fellow workmates”
“I have no place in society,” a young Lesbian in Harare says. “Where do I run to?”
Most LGBTI persons give in to pressure from parents and the extended family and agree to heterosexual marriages.
They are forced to live a life of deceit and lies, which is often emotional and leads to extreme psychological distress.
An uninformed media exacerbates this attitude. Homophobic statements by government leaders contribute to a misinformed, highly discriminatory socio-political environment.
Zimbabwe is no exception. Homosexuality is outlawed in 35 African countries and punishable by death in two countries, Mauritania and Sudan, as well as in some areas of Somalia and Nigeria, according to Amnesty International.
In Zimbabwe and other African countries, it is often claimed that homosexuality is “un-African” and a deviant Western ideology.
Zimbabwe is one of the least accepting countries in the world for gay, lesbian and transgender people.
A 2006 revision to the country’s criminal code expanded the penalty for sodomy to include acts that “would be regarded by a reasonable person as an indecent act”. This could include two men holding hands or hugging, and it can be punished by an extended prison term.
The current Zimbabwe Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act makes specific sexual acts illegal, but falls short of criminalising LGBTI status.
According to popular belief, however, homosexuality is a crime.
Robert Mugabe, the former president, publicly called gays “worse than dogs and pigs.”
The community is reaching for society to accept and understand its orientation as they feel their rights are being trampled by a society that fails to tolerate their nature.
Or , Please Understand Us, LGBTI Society Speaks Out
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