WEZESHA is a national Lesbian, Gay, bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) organization: advancing equality, diversity, education and justice. WEZESHA works for the protection and promotion of LGBT rights in Tanzania at all levels of government to advance full social and legal equality on behalf of the about 2 million lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in Tanzania.
Overview of LBGT rights in Tanzania
Tanzania is a member and a subscriber of the United Nations Human Rights Declaration but does not comply with its international human rights obligations and has no protection against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Tanzania does not recognize marriage equality rights for all couples regardless of their sex, sexuality or gender identity. Tanzania does criminalize homosexuality in sections 154-157 of the penal code
There are no specific anti-discrimination laws to protect people on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity and there are no commitments that the government has made to ensure the existence of anti-discrimination law to benefit all Tanzanians.
The Homophobia in Tanzania is very different from that in other countries mainly we the LGBT people experience extreme social stigma manifesting in malicious gossip, name-calling, intimidating looks, anti-Gay movies, vandalism and theft of property, discrimination at work, isolation and rejection, sexual assault, or even being sentenced to thirty year in prison. All these forms of homophobia are destructive, not just for us who live openly as LGBT, but for society as a whole.
LGBT people who make the decision to declare their sexual orientation face prejudice and discrimination from their family, friends, and also from wider society. The Homophobia is continuously causing extreme harm and disruption to people’s lives, many LGBT people have become homeless as a result of being rejected by their families after revealing their sexual orientation. In Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Zanzibar and Mwanza between 20 and 40 percent of young people who live in ghettos are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.
We who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, who are transgender, transsexual or intersex, are full and equal members of the human family and are entitled to be treated as such.
“Where there is tension between cultural attitudes and universal human rights, universal human rights must carry the day. Personal disapproval, even society’s disapproval, is no excuse to arrest, detain, imprison, harass or torture anyone ever.” ( BAN KI-MOON)
