Male homosexuality is illegal in Zimbabwe and since 1995, the government has carried out anti-gay campaigns against both men and women. Homosexuality refers to sexual and romantic attraction between two individuals of the same sex. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

Laws against gays

Common Law prohibitions include sodomy defined as the "unlawful and intentional sexual relations per anum between two human males." Unnatural Offences is defined as the unlawful and intentional commission of an unnatural sexual act by one person with another person. S11 of The Censorship and Entertainments has also been used to harass gay people in Zimbabwe. This provides that no person shall import, print, publish, distribute, or keep for sale any publication which is undesirable. A publication is undesirable if it is "indecent or obscene or is offensive or harmful to public morals or is likely to be contrary to public health." [1] A law passed in 2006 makes "physical contact between males that would be regarded by a reasonable person as an indecent act" a criminal offence. François Elluin, Sodomites provoking the wrath of God, from Le pot pourri de Loth (1781). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Persecution of homosexuals

In 1989, the Association of Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe or GALZ was formed to to facilitate communication within the gay community. [2] [3]. It is amazing that an Association for Guys and Lesbian exists in Zimbabwe. In principal African culture condemns sex within the same sex. The group did not receive much attention from the government until August 1, 1995, when GALZ set up a stall at Zimbabwe's annual International Book Fair in Harare. President Robert Mugabe received international criticism when he stated: 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The idea of a gay community is complex and can be very controversial. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Harare (pronounced , formerly Salisbury) is the capital city of Zimbabwe. ... Robert Gabriel Mugabe KCB (born February 21, 1924) is a Zimbabwean politician. ...

"I find it extremely outrageous and repugnant to my human conscience that such immoral and repulsive organizations, like those of homosexuals, who offend both against the law of nature and the morals of religious beliefs espoused by our society, should have any advocates in our midst and elsewhere in the world."

Two weeks later during Zimbabwe's annual independence celebrations Mugabe proclaimed:

"It degrades human dignity. It's unnatural, and there is no question ever of allowing these people to behave worse than dogs and pigs. If dogs and pigs do not do it, why must human beings? We have our own culture, and we must re-dedicate ourselves to our traditional values that make us human beings. … What we are being persuaded to accept is sub-animal behavior and we will never allow it here. If you see people parading themselves as Lesbians and Gays, arrest them and hand them over to the police!" [4]

Since then President Mugabe has cracked down on homosexuals under Zimbabwe's sodomy law. Mugabe has blamed gays for many of Zimbabwe's problems and views homosexuality as an "un-African" and immoral culture brought by colonists and practiced by only "a few whites" in his country. [5] At his 82nd birthday celebrations he told supporters to "leave whites to do that." [6] Mugabe has informed journalists, most of whom work for state-owned institutions, to report negatively on gay relationships. Some critics believe that Mugabe's anti-gay campaign is meant to deflect attention from Zimbabwe's economic problems by using gays as a scapegoat. [7] The scapegoat was a goat that was driven off into the wilderness as part of the ceremonies of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, in Judaism during the times of the Temple in Jerusalem. ...

GALZ has been the target of inflitration by government spies and extortion attempts by both strangers and casual acquaintances. Homosexuals have been repeatedly bribed, detained, beaten and sometimes raped by the authorities. [8]

In 1996, former president Canaan Banana was arrested based on accusations made during the murder trial of his former bodyguard, Jefta Dube. Banana was found guilty of eleven charges of sodomy, attempted sodomy and indecent assault in 1998. He was jailed and died in November 2003. 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... Prime Minister Robert Mugabe (left) and President Canaan Banana attend the ceremony for the independence of Zimbabwe in April 18, 1980 Canaan Sodindo Banana (5 March 1936 – 10 November 2003), a Zimbabwean Methodist minister, was the countrys first President. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... 2003 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December A timeline of events in the news for November, 2003. ...

Gay life in the country

Homosexuality is highly taboo in the conservative country and Mugabe's anti-gay stance resonates with many Zimbabweans. [9] Gays and lesbians in Zimbabwe are threatened by violence and suicide attempts are common among the gay community. [10] A few nightclubs in urban areas such as Harare and Bulawayo are tolerant of gay customers. [11] Homosexuality is considered taboo in many cultures around the world. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A nightclub (often dance club or club, particularly in the UK) is an entertainment venue which does its primary business after dark. ... The city of San Luis Obispo, an example of an urban area. ... The City of Bulawayo is highlighted in this map of Zimbabwe. ...

In some Shona tribes, there is a belief that having sex with another man, particularly a younger one, can bring good fortune to the senior partner. This practice must be kept secret according to traditional beliefs. [12] Shona (IPA: ) is the name collectively given to several groups of people in Zimbabwe and western Mozambique. ...

HIV and AIDS

HIV and AIDS has plauged homosexuals in Zimbabwe and many cannot afford antiretroviral drugs. At present, GALZ is one of the few lobby groups in Zimbabwe that has a treatment plan up and running for people with full-blown AIDS. The association intends to have all its registered members take an HIV test. It also distributes posters warning people about the ways in which gays are vulnerable to AIDS. [13] Human immunodeficiency virus or HIV is a retrovirus that causes Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which the immune system begins to fail, leading to life-threatening opportunistic infections. ... Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS or Aids) is a collection of symptoms and infections in humans resulting from the specific damage to the immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). ... Antiretroviral drugs are medications for the treatment of infection by the retrovirus HIV. Different antiretroviral drugs act at various stages of the HIV life cycle. ... Lobbying is the practice of private advocacy with the goal of influencing a governing body, in order to ensure that an individuals or organizations point of view is represented in the government. ... Randal Tobias, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, being publicly tested for HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia in an effort to reduce the stigma of being tested. ...

Asylum

Zimbabwe has been accused of limiting its citizens' freedom of movement and leaving the country is extremely difficult. In 1998, William Kimumwe, facing sodomy charges, fled Zimbabwe for Kenya and arrived in the United States in 2002 seeking asylum, which was denied by an immigration judge. In 2005, The US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in the state of Missouri upheld the immigration judge's decision. A two-judge majority believed Kimumwe's experiences in Zimbabwe were the result of his sodomic actions, not his sexual orientation. [14] [15] Freedom of movement is a human rights concept which is respected in the constitutions of numerous Western states. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Look up asylum in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Court of Appeals is the title of certain appellate courts in various jurisdictions. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Sexual orientation describes the direction of an individuals sexuality, often in relation to their own sex or gender. ...

External links

• Association of Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ)
• Behind The Mask: Zimbabwe
• Under African Skies: A Four Part Series on Gay Zimbabwe
• Zimbabwe: Gays talk straight (mp3 format)