LGBT rights in Africa

Gloppen, Siri; Rakner, Lise

doi:10.4337/9781788111157.00022

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Economic factors also shape opportunity structures (Asal et al, 2013) with modernization theorists noting increasing tolerance as states become more urban, wealthy, and educated (Inglehart and Norris, 2003). In contrast, the prevalence of religious and traditional values and the retention of colonial laws criminalizing homosexuality provide obstacles to LGBT rights (Rakner and Gloppen, 2021).…”

Section: Explaining Variation In Lgbt Rightsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent decades have seen worldwide divergence on LGBT rights, 1 with scholars identifying a “growing chasm” (Velasco, 2020) as legal protections and public acceptance spread alongside state-sponsored homophobia and organized counter movements (Weiss & Bosia, 2013). This is often seen as a point of contention between the West and the Global South (Onapajo & Isike, 2016), where the prevalence of religious and traditional values and the legacies of colonialism provide barriers to LGBT rights protections (Asal et al, 2013; Rakner and Gloppen, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Conflict and Coalition: Securing LGBT Rights in the Face of Hostility

Devereaux Evans

2023

Comparative Political Studies

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Under what conditions do states protect minority rights in a context of domestic resistance? Recent decades have seen rapid divergence on LGBT rights worldwide, with Africa presented as “norms antipreneur” in the face of international pressure. Yet, in 1996, South Africa was the first country in the world to provide constitutional protection on grounds of sexual orientation. This article develops an original theory on LGBT rights protection using a conflict-to-rights framework. Employing process tracing, elite interviews and archival sources, I show how a situation of insurgency allows LGBT activists to build networks and increase egalitarian attitudes to attain in-group status. Continued violence also works to block public participation in policy-making while dividing opposition forces, allowing a tiny group of activists to effectively lobby for change.

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Section: Explaining Variation In Lgbt Rightsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conflict and Coalition: Securing LGBT Rights in the Face of Hostility

Devereaux Evans

2023

Comparative Political Studies

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“…Seventeen countries in these regions criminalize same-sex sexual relations, with two explicitly criminalizing gender identities and expressions that do not adhere to cisgender norms (Giwa et al, 2020a; Mendos, 2019). Punishments range from fines to death (Giwa et al, 2020a; Gloppen & Rakner, 2020). Even in countries, such as Kenya and Namibia, where transgender individuals can legally change their names and gender markers, LGBTQ+ individuals are still persecuted and offered little to no legal protections (Chiam et al, 2017).…”

Section: Lgbtq+ Human Rights In Central East and Southern Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

Family, friendship, and strength among LGBTQ+ migrants in Cape Town, South Africa: A qualitative understanding

Alessi

Greenfield

et al. 2021

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships

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The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how migrants in South Africa identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or with other diverse sexual orientations or gender identities (LGBTQ+) describe and understand their pre-migration family experiences and how family and other social relationships facilitated strength during post-migration. We conducted six focus groups, consisting of both morning and afternoon sessions, which included a total of 30 LGBTQ+ migrants (ages 21–42). The following themes were identified using grounded theory: managing family responses during pre-migration: concealing, avoiding, disclosing; the power of (even) one: support during post-migration; “love is a very big thing”: drawing strength from chosen family; and “pulling myself up”: drawing strength from self-reliance. Findings demonstrate that many participants reported experiencing negative responses from family, but some continued to rely on family support after arriving in South Africa. Further, participants often depended on newfound friendships for support as well as their own internal resources. This self-reliance was facilitated in part by participants’ understanding that they could not depend on their families or other people because of the negative responses faced in their countries of origin. Implications for theory, research, and practice are discussed.

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“…Africa stands out as a region where homosexuality remains criminalized in several countries (32 of Africa's 54 countries outlaw same-sex sexuality), with South Africa being the only country on the continent that has legalized same-sex marriage. In addition to being unlawful, societal intolerance or contempt towards homosexuality is rife in many African countries [3], notably driven by legal prohibition, politicization of the discourse on homosexuality, and religious conservatism [4][5][6][7][8][9]. With such extreme polarized positions on homosexual rights between African and Western countries at the aggregate level, Africa has become the new frontline where pro-gay activists, on the one hand, and anti-gay proponents on the other hand, converge for a showdown.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Context Matters: Change and Persistence of Homophobic Attitudes among Cameroonian Migrants in Switzerland

Lyonga

2022

Sexes

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Debates on human rights in recent years have brought to the fore stark fault lines between African countries, where societal intolerance towards homosexuality is prevalent, and Western countries, which hold more tolerant views towards homosexuality. As contention rages around African identity and homosexuality, one interesting question calls for attention: how do the attitudes of Africans towards homosexuality evolve—or not—when they migrate from their home context to a more open society where homosexuality is widely accepted? This study draws on Herek’s ‘attitudes toward lesbians and gay men scale’ (ATLG) to investigate homophobia among Cameroonians at home compared to Cameroonian migrants in Switzerland and uses in-depth interviews to understand the reasons for any change in or persistence of attitudes. Survey data shows that Cameroonian migrants in Switzerland portray significantly less homophobia compared to Cameroonians living at home. Qualitative analysis identified four factors that contributed to change in attitudes among Cameroonian migrants: (i) experiencing racial prejudice and xenophobia prompted self-reflection about their own prejudices towards others; (ii) witnessing, first-hand, the huge infrastructure and development gap between their host and home country exposed anti-homosexuality politics back home as a needless distraction from actual development priorities; (iii) greater opportunities to meet and interact with gay people in the host country challenged long-held home-grown stereotypes about homosexuality; and (iv) non-discrimination standards and codes of conduct in the workplace in the host country encouraged conformity and shifts towards greater tolerance.

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LGBT rights in Africa

Cited by 8 publications

References 5 publications

Conflict and Coalition: Securing LGBT Rights in the Face of Hostility

Conflict and Coalition: Securing LGBT Rights in the Face of Hostility

Family, friendship, and strength among LGBTQ+ migrants in Cape Town, South Africa: A qualitative understanding

How Context Matters: Change and Persistence of Homophobic Attitudes among Cameroonian Migrants in Switzerland

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