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Published on 2024-02-17 08:04:57
Zimbabwe’s Vice President Blocks LGBTQ+ Scholarship, Continues Homophobic Practices
Zimbabwe’s powerful vice president has announced that the government will block a university scholarship for young LGBTQ+ people, a move that has been criticized by human rights groups as a perpetuation of the African country’s homophobic practices.
The state university scholarship for individuals between the ages of 18 and 35 is sponsored by GALZ, a membership organization for LGBTQ+ people in Zimbabwe. The association began offering the scholarship in 2018 without incident. However, a recent online advertisement inviting applications drew a strong response from Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, a self-proclaimed devout Catholic and former army commander.
In a strongly worded statement, Chiwenga claimed the scholarship was “a direct challenge” to the government’s authority. He expressed that Zimbabwe’s schools and institutions of higher learning will not entertain or enroll individuals associated with what he described as “alien, anti-life, un-African and un-Christian values.”
GALZ has previously stated that the scholarship aims to provide equal access to state universities for LGBTQ+ individuals who are often ostracized by their families and struggle to pay for higher education. They did not respond to the vice president’s statement.
A coalition of human rights groups that GALZ belongs to expressed concern over the statement, emphasizing that it demonstrates that sexual and gender minorities are endangered in Zimbabwe. Wilbert Mandinde, the programs coordinator at Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, stated, “We are extremely concerned about the statement from the second-highest office in the land because it exhibits intolerance, especially taking into account that the advertisement opens young people to so many opportunities.”
Zimbabwe has laws criminalizing homosexual activity, with a potential sentence of up to a year in prison for sex between men, and the country’s constitution bans same-sex marriages. Chiwenga emphasized that the country’s anti-gay laws make any scholarship offers to LGBTQ+ individuals unlawful, criminal, and an affront on the nation’s values and ethos as a Christian nation.
The history of discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community in Zimbabwe is well-documented. Former President Robert Mugabe once described them as “worse than dogs and pigs” and unworthy of legal rights. The current President, Emmerson Mnangagwa, has been less vocal in his anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, but Chiwenga’s threat to ban the scholarship highlights the continued hostility from authorities and influential religious groups.
In December, Zimbabwe’s Catholic bishops cautioned against Pope Francis’ declaration allowing priests to offer blessings to same-sex couples, citing “respect of the law of the land, our culture, and for moral reasons.”
In 2021, a planned visit by a gay South African celebrity for the reopening of a trendy Zimbabwean restaurant was canceled after a Christian sect and members of the ruling ZANU-PF party’s youth wing vowed to block his appearance.
The move by the government to block the university scholarship for LGBTQ+ individuals has sparked criticism from human rights groups and raised concerns about the safety and acceptance of sexual and gender minorities in Zimbabwe. Despite the challenges, organizations continue to advocate for the rights and equality of LGBTQ+ individuals in the country.
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