Rwanda's gays allege silent discrimination
By Gilbert Mwijuke Special Correspondent
Posted Friday, May 16 2014 at 20:43
Rwanda may not have an outright anti-gay law, but this does not mean
local homosexuals and lesbians live open happy lives. A majority of
Rwandans consider gay orientation a taboo.
This is despite the country's law being silent on homosexuality and lesbianism.
"Very many Rwandans think homosexuality is not human," said a
24-year-old homosexual who did not want his name to published for fear
of reprisal. "There are those who cannot even sit near you, let alone
talk to you, when they realise that you are gay."
Perhaps this explains why the soft-spoken young man, who works as a
film director and actor, has a girlfriend with whom he moves around so
that those close to him do not find a reason to question his sexual
orientation.
READ: Rwanda expresses reservation on gay rights
"She also doesn't even know that I am gay," he added. "In fact, I am
not sure anyone in my family knows that I am gay but I know that they
will find out one day if they haven't known already.
"But that does not concern me," he says.
He confessed to having a sexual relationship with another man and
during the interview the young man looked and acted feminine.
He however said that, despite being discriminated against by society,
local authorities treat homosexuals just like any other Rwandan. The
government prohibits any form of discrimination -- be it by gender,
ethnicity, race, religion or otherwise.
"I don't know anyone who has been arrested or intimidated because of
his or her sexual orientation," the young man told Rwanda Today. "That
is why no Rwandan can claim to have gone into exile for being gay.
"We are not persecuted at all; our only problem is being discriminated
against by some people who don't understand what it means to be gay."
It is as well that the issue of discrimination against gays and
lesbians was top of the agenda when lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender and intersex (LGBTI) groups converged at the Goethe
Institut in Kiyovu, Kigali, on Friday to discuss their future in the
country.
Friday was the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia.
A few years ago, there were media reports that Members of Parliament
wanted homosexuality criminalised on grounds that the country has a
family law that states that; "A person may only get married to another
of the opposite sex."
However, the then minister for justice, Tharcisse Karugarama,
downplayed the reports, saying the government believed that sexual
orientation was a private matter and that there were no plans to
criminalise homosexuality. [...]
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