The following piece by Letlhogonolo Mokgoroane was originally published on New Frame At the first pride march in Africa in 1990, Justice Edwin Cameron said: “The criminal law is for criminals. Gays and lesbians are not criminals. Being gay or lesbian is part of being human. To criminalise gays and lesbians is to criminalise part…
The 7th edition of the Changing Faces Changing Spaces (CFCS VII) conference hosted by UHAI EASHR took place in Kenya from the 19th to the 21st of July 2019 with the theme Visibility, Voice, Freedom. The conference brought together varied voices and activists from the African region as well international donors and funders. The conference…
This year, academic, activist and friend of Iranti, B Camminga, became the first openly trans person from the African continent to obtain their PhD. Their research project culminated in the publication of a book entitled “Transgender Refugees and the Imagined South Africa: Bodies Over Borders and Borders Over Bodies”. The book, Camminga uses the stories…
On date 11 June 2019, the High Court of Botswana formally handed down a ruling acknowledging that Section 164 of that country’s penal code was discriminatory and should be struck down, marking a significant victory for local LGBTI+ groups. While not ostensibly worded in such a way as to criminalise homosexuality, the law forbade “carnal…
Words by Neo Musangi; Edited by Kellyn Botha The High Court in Kenya chose to uphold a piece of legislation that criminalises ‘carnal knowledge against the order of nature’ as stipulated in the country’s British colonial-era Penal Code. This was lauded by many in the conservative country as a “moral” judgement, but represents a blow…
As trans and gender-diverse Africans, many of us have had to redefine what gender, sex and love mean for ourselves. In our local contexts, there is rarely any sort of blueprint for what it means to be us. We ARE the blueprint! In March 2019, Iranti, in partnership with EATHAN and RFSL, hosted the RFSL…
It is with great sadness that Iranti has learnt of the passing of MaliQ Akayo, a beloved member of TransBantu Zambia. Another inspiring member of the African transgender community is gone too soon. MaliQ facilitated a number of trainings and community building activities at TransBantu, and helped introduce the organisation’s first Human Resources and Financial…
On Thursday, 14 March 2019, a full bench of the Botswana High Court, sitting before the Honourable Judge A.B Tafa, the Honourable Judge M. Leburu and the Honourable Judge J. Dube, will hear a case challenging the constitutionality of sections 164(a), 164(c) and 167 of the Botswana Penal Code. These provisions criminalise same-sex sexual conduct…
It is with great sadness that the Iranti team learnt today of the passing of Leigh Davids, a passionate and important advocate for transgender and sex workers’ rights in South Africa. Working tirelessly for the decriminalisation of sex work in South Africa, Leigh was a founding member of SistaazHood, a collective for trans women sex…
After a week of court proceedings in Lausanne, Switzerland, the fate of Caster Semenya will be formally announced on 24 March 2019 by the CAS (Court of Arbitration in Sport). The IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) has fought to exclude Semenya from athletics ever since her hyperandrogenism (which results in heightened levels of testosterone)…
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