BOTSWANA: Former President Says Decriminalize Same Sex Relations

An update on a story that R20 has been following from Botswana. Former Presidents Festus Mogae is calling for an explicit decriminalization of that nation's sodomy statue, reports the BBC.

Mr Mogae, who heads the Botswana government-backed Aids Council, said it was difficult to promote safe sex when the two practices were illegal. His views are controversial as many conservative Batswana frown upon homosexuality and prostitution. ...

A government spokesman on HIV/Aids told the BBC homosexuality and prostitution would remain illlegal until the government concluded wide-ranging consultations to see whether there was a need to change the law.

Mogae adds:

Mr Mogae said Botswana could not regard homosexuals - a tiny minority in the country - as criminals."I don't understand it [homosexuality]. I am a heterosexual," he told the BBC's Network Africa programme. "I look at women. I don't look at other men. But there are men who look at other men. These are citizens."

Mogae also called for condoms in prison and for the government to stop harassing sex workers.

This is not Mogae's first time speaking out for gay rights. In May 2011, Mogae and former Zambian President Kenneth Kuanda called for the decriminalization of sodomy statutes across Africa. Mogae and Kuanda argued that harsh penalties dissuade gay men who are HIV positive against seeking treatment.

Botswana has one of the world's highest HIV/AIDS rates. An estimated 17% of the population is positive.

Mogae argued for gay rights in the recent BBC debate, "Is Homosexuality Un-African?" Mogae said he was constrained about decriminalizing homosexuality while in political office.

Activists in Botswana's small LGBT community have sued the government over its anti-sodomy laws. Sodomy and/or same-sex relations are illegal in at least 37 countries in Africa. 

You May Have Missed:
BOTSWANA: Gays Sue Govt
Sodomy Decriminalization Case Begins in Botswana
BOTSWANA: Sodomy Decriminalization Case Continues
Fmr Leaders Botswana, Zambia: Decriminalize Sodomy

Comments

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Love his name. MO GAY. hahaha
Good to hear of male support from Africa.