Efforts to Eradicate African Homophobia and Transphobia in Colonial Context

Photo Credit: The Guardian

At an African Union summit last week, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon made a brief but noteable mention of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.  Though the portion of the speech dedicated to this topic was only a couple of sentences long, it was significant for those of us who have been following the rapid changes in the application of universal human rights to LGBT people, particularly at the U.N.  It is also somewhat strange to see the head of an international body influenced strongly by former colonial powers demanding that Africa abolish homophobic and transphobic practices that have a strong root in colonial history.

When we look at varies human rights abuses that the leaders and individuals in various African nations perpetrate against LGBT Africans, we have to untangle many layers of history, influence, and culture.  Some of the important factors include the import of homophobia by European colonial powers and missionaries, the weaving of Western and African ideas about gender, the influence of religion (including Christianity, Islam, and others), a long history of conflict in various regions, Western economic influence and appropriation of resources, the refugee situation, and clashing ideas about gender and sexuality in a colonial or post-colonial situation.

So when Ban Ki-Moon asks the African Union to consider how LGBT people in some African countries are treated “as second-class citizens or even criminals,” he is merely scratching the surface of an extremely complicated problem.

Fortunately, the problem is complicated but not impossible to solve.  Many of these interwoven issues can be addressed together, or side-by-side, and there are organizations and individuals already working to do so.  Last week, Spectra highlighted three transgender and intersex organizations in different parts of Africa that are forming an alliance.  In that post, she noted the importance of Africans coming together in solidarity on gender and sexuality issues.  Spectra’s post reminded me of another African, Egyptian scholar Hassan el-Menyawi, arguing in a 2006 issue of the Melbourne Journal of International Law that LGBT Egyptians should consider joining with others who have an interest in privacy rights, including such unlikely allies as religious Muslim groups.

African solidarity is obviously crucial to address these tangled issues, and there are clearly partnerships to be made along lines of gender, sexuality, privacy, peace, de-colonization, and other axes that might not be readily apparent.  It is one thing for Ban Ki-Moon to criticize African nations for homophobia and transphobia, or for Secretary Clinton to speak up on LGBT rights worldwide, but Western leaders also need to learn when to speak up and then step back.  How can Western allies help without re-hashing the pains of a colonial legacy?

1. Acknowledge past mistakes.  The former colonial powers need to admit culpability in this area, and acknowledge the role of colonialism in spreading homophobia, sexism, and patriarchy.
2. Support local organizations making change.  Rather than trying to fix these problems that Western powers have had a part in creating, Western governments and NGOs can provide funding for local organizations working within their own cultural context.  As in any funding or support situation, Westerners who want to support African activism and capacity-building efforts should first ascertain whether help is wanted or needed, and what is actually desired.
3. Avoid continuing culpability.  U.S. President Obama has made a step in the right direction in requiring that aid funds be examined to avoid LGBT-discriminatory funding.  Other countries giving aid or lending resources should follow suit.  In addition, it is important to critically examine Westerners’ roles in supporting or exacerbating conflict in Africa, perpetuating gender roles, and spreading homophobia.  Our culpability is not only historical but continues with any involvement in African countries.  Even efforts that are meant to be positive, such as promoting gay rights abroad, may cause more backlash than good when messages are not culturally sensitive or informed.  It is also important to focus on shortcomings in our own societies, as homophobia and transphobia are certainly not problems unique to Africa.