In Zimbabwe, there is a long held public view that queerness is “unAfrican” and imported to Africa from the west. Even though numerous studies have proven this not to be true, reiterations of this lie by the state has led many to believe that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ+) people cannot be Zimbabwean.
Robert Mugabe, the country’s first president, was infamous for his homophobic rhetoric. He often compared gender and sexual minorities to pigs and dogs. Such homophobic utterances further reduced the spaces where LGBTIQ+ people could live and express themselves without fear.
