Tensions are running high in several African countries, where LGBT movements and related legislation are back on the spotlight. Recurring campaigns against LGBT persons; tightening repressive laws; traditional and religious courts punishing “crimes against nature”; a general climate of social stigma and social exclusion have been in the headlines in Uganda, in Namibia and in Nigeria, just to mention few examples. South Africa is running against the tide: the constitutional acknowledgment of sexual orientation as listed anti-discrimination ground, and a very vibrant LGBT movement have induced significant political and legal advancements. Nonetheless, a vast part of the population strongly oppose this “liberation struggle”.
The paper discusses the success and the failures of the South African LGBT movement against the background of other African experiences. Are there lessons to be learned? Is the South African case doomed to remain an unicum or there are other interesting experiences in the African landscape?
