Violence against LGBT(QI) persons in Africa

Abstract

Aspects of gender diversity and sexual orientation pose a threat to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBT(QI)) individuals in Africa. These individuals have become targets of violence. This chapter provides empirical evidence of how violence is a challenging, unethical aspect of discrimination against LGBT(QI) individuals. It is not directed at merely speculating about the way members of the LGBT(QI) community are experiencing different elements of violence in Africa; rather, it analyzes the implications of this for LGBT(QI) persons in Africa, especially in the context of the various cultural and religious identifiers associated with African norms and cultural practices. These identities are not easy to circumvent, yet they are the architecture of African norms and prescriptions of how African sexualities should be. We interrogate further how African states can contribute to the immediate protection of LGBT(QI) communities on the continent.