The LGBTI community in Botswana celebrate Gaborone Pride
published on Oct 05, 2024
Gaborone, the vibrant capital city of Botswana, recently witnessed another historic LGBTIQ+ event that sent ripples of acceptance and love throughout the nation.
The annual Gaborone Pride, a celebration of diversity and inclusion, took centre stage in the Southern African country known for its increasingly progressive stance on LGBTIQ+ rights.
This event marked a significant milestone in Botswana’s journey toward embracing and celebrating its diverse community. The Gaborone Pride is organized by Friends of Diversity in collaboration with other LGBTI CSOs in Botswana.
Lifting the Rainbow Flag higher and higher
Gabs Pride marks a monumental victory of success and struggles of LGBTI community in Botswana
LGBTIQ+ people are not seeking special rights, but rather equal rights as afforded in the Constitution of Botswana. The pursuit of equal human rights was recently put in jeopardy when Botswana’s Minister of Defense, Justice and Security proposed tabling a divisive and unnecessary bill seeking to amend Section 164 (a) and (c) of the Penal Code, which criminalize homosexuality, during the July/August 2023 Parliament session.The Court concluded that sections 164(a) and (c) of the Penal Code “have been rendered unconstitutional by the march of time and the change of circumstances” and are unnecessarily harmful to and stigmatizing LGBTIQ+ people. Such sections “incentivize law enforcement agents and others to become key-hole peepers and intruders in private spaces,” which is “neither in the public interest nor in the nature of Batswana”.
The Minister later informed Parliament that he would defer the tabled bill to allow for an intensive interrogation on the constitutional issues raised with his ministry regarding the bill and would seek counsel from the Attorney General of Botswana on how to proceed with the Court of Appeal’s ruling.