The Lesbians, Gays & Bisexuals of Botswana (LEGABIBO) is a

Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the sou ...

human rights

advocacy group Advocacy groups, also known as lobby groups, interest groups, special interest groups, pressure groups, or public associations, use various forms of advocacy or lobbying to influence public opinion and ultimately public policy. They play an impor ...

with the primary objective of seeking legal and

social rights Economic, social and cultural rights (ESCR) are socio-economic human rights, such as the right to education, right to housing, right to an adequate standard of living, right to health, victims' rights and the right to science and culture. Econo ...

for the

LGBT LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...

community in Botswana. It is the first LGBT focused organization to be registered in Botswana after years of official opposition. The organization aims to reduce discrimination of LGBT individuals and advocate the recognition of same sex couples for the purpose of adoption, accessing social benefits and

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

History

LEGABIBO was initiated in 1998 under the auspices of Ditshwanelo, a human rights NGO to be a side project that represents an informal community of lesbians and gays in Botswana. Getting official recognition and legal protection for same-sex relationships in conservative Botswana was a goal of the informal group. However, registration of the organization proved to be a challenge in Botswana because government officials felt practice of same-sex relationships violates section 164 of the penal code and others felt registration of a gay rights organization will create disorder in the society. In the initial stages of its existence, the organization failed to attract enough resources to sustain its activities until BONELA (Botswana Network of Ethics, Law and HIV) decided to provide some support. BONELA gave the organization support for its legal struggles and office space to coordinate activities and host workshops to discuss issues affecting the LGBT community in Botswana. In 2005, LEGABIBO applied for registration, its first attempt to force the government to make a decision on its position and interpretation of the law concerning the registration of LGBT NGOs. After two years, the application was refused. In 2012, the organization re-applied for registration with the Botswana's Civil and National Registration department but was denied registration on the basis that the

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these pri ...

does not recognize same-sex unions and objectives of the group contravenes section 7(2) of the Societies Act. The refusal was challenged by LEGABIBO, which was represented by former High Court judge

Unity Dow Unity Dow ( Diswai; born 23 April 1959) is a Motswana lawyer, author, human rights activist and Member of Parliament for Kgatleng West since November 2024. She formerly served as a judge on the High Court of Botswana and in various Botswa ...

, with the support of BONELA, the Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC) and the Open Society Initiative of Southern Africa (OSISA). The group achieved favorable judgement in the high court in November 2014 and in the Court of Appeal in March 2016.

Events

Batho Ba Lorato

LEGABIBO host Batho Ba Lorato, a queer film festival to raise awareness about LGBT issues, promote freedom of expression and tolerance. The third festival was held on February 28, 2015 at the

University of Botswana The University of Botswana (UB) was established in 1982, as the first institution of higher education in Botswana. The university currently has three campuses: one in the capital city Gaborone, one in Francistown, and another in Maun. The Unive ...

auditorium.

International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia

The organization with BONELA celebrates the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia and uses the occasion to raise awareness about

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

concerns. In 2015, the event was used to campaign against the mutilation of intersex babies.

References

External links