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Zimbabwean LGBTQ+ activists said the anti-sodomy codes made it difficult for them to seek health care, while the governemnt has softened its stance against willful transmission of HIV and AIDS citing overwhelming stigma and lack of knowledge on the part of health providers regarding queer and trans people,
“In as far as combatting HIV/AIDS is concerned, there are no national programs targeted for minority groups or interventions that can easily be accessible by the LGBTI community on prevention and care within the public healthcare system,” Samuel Matsikure, program manager of the advocacy group Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ), said at the time.
The lack of resources have resulted in what appear to be elevated rates of HIV among LGBTQ+ Zimbabweans. The country’s embassy released a report in 2020 estimating that 12.9 percent of Zimbabwe’s 1.2 million adults are living with HIV. GALZ approximates that 15 percent of its 6,000 members are HIV-positive.
It’s unclear how many members of Zimbabwe’s LGBTQ+ population have been able to access medications to manage the virus, but GALZ said that, on average, 10 to 15 members of the group die each year from complications related to HIV.
Overall, Zimbabwean authorities claim that 97 percent of individuals living with HIV in the country are currently taking antiretrovirals to prevent HIV transmission. Of those currently in care, 90.3 percent are reportedly undetectable, meaning that their viral load is so low they cannot spread the virus to a sexual partner.
Zimbabwe’s HIV rates have fallen sharply over the past few decades, according to local outlet The Herald. In 2010, there were an estimated 62,000 new HIV cases in Zimbabwe, but that number dropped to 38,000 by 2018, a decrease of 38.7 percent
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